Curls and Bruises
by s l y t h e r i n d o l l
Summary: "When I'm done with you, I won't need your permission. You'll simply be begging for it."
1. Chapter 1

**This is my second story with a Dark!Draco theme but this one is going to be much darker. Like...much.**

**Warning: This story contains Dark!Evil!Obsessive!Possessive!Draco. I feel like I'm going to have to put that warning at the beginning of every chapter because I know that there's always going to be that _one person_. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Hermione was unusually quiet as she stared out of the window, watching the scenery fly by. The Hogwarts Express was taking them to Hogwarts like it did every year. For Hermione and her friends however, it might be for the last time. She didn't want to think like that but she had to force herself to be realistic. It wouldn't be long before everything finally came to a boiling point or as some of her muggle friends liked to say- 'before shit hit the fan'. It wasn't too long ago that the wizarding world had finally been informed of the truth; Voldemort had indeed returned and nobody knew how to handle it. How _does_ one respond when someone tells you that 'He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named', the darkest wizard to have ever lived, has returned from the dead? That warrants so much more than a horrified stare or a gasp of terror.

She glanced first at the empty space in front of her where Harry once sat and then to Ron who was in an animated conversation with Seamus Finnegan before letting out a sigh. She was scared for Harry, truly she was. She understood that he wanted to find clues that could lead to answers that could help them win this war but Draco Malfoy's pending Death Eater status was not the best place to start. It was _Draco Malfoy_ for Merlin's sake. The boy threw out hollow threats of telling daddy and empty promises more than he breathed. To be frank, she wasn't sure that Malfoy even had the guts to become a Death Eater. The first few seconds of getting the dark mark would've been too painful for him before he started to sob like an infant. She cracked a small smile as she remembered his dramatics when Buck Beak barely scratched him in third year. She shook her head in disbelief at the image of Malfoy kneeling in front of Voldemort with his arm held out like an offering. There was no way that he was a Death Eater. The idea was ludicrous.

She glanced at the empty spot again before frowning in a mixture of worry and confusion. Harry had been gone a while and she could tell that they were nearly at Hogwarts. She could also use this as an opportunity to patrol seeing as how she'd gotten out of her prefects meeting a while ago and should have been doing that already. She slid out of her seat before beginning to walk down the train in search of him. She smiled at her friends and acquaintances in the process, trying to ignore some of the discreet looks she was receiving. She was aware that what she was wearing wasn't exactly her normal loose fitting attire but that was hardly her fault. When one goes through an unexpected last cycle of puberty, one is forced to update their wardrobe. It wasn't long before she had walked through all of the compartments, all except Slytherin's territory that is, but there was no way that Harry was in there. She turned around to head back before her own thoughts stopped her.

_Unless_… Unless he'd gone to try and prove his theory of Malfoy. She bit her lip as she struggled with whether or not to go. She didn't have to go in, just glance through the door. She turned around again and headed in that direction, stopping at the door and discreetly glancing in the window. No one noticed her, thankfully, but she didn't see Harry or any place where he could be hiding, causing her to quietly sigh. She was about to go back to her own seat when a head of pale blond hair caught her attention. He was sitting with who she recognized as Blaise Zabini and Pansy Parkinson, no surprise there. What was a surprise though was him glancing up and locking his eyes onto her, his expression blank and almost calculating, as if he knew that she was there before he looked up. She forced herself to suppress a gasp as her eyes met his. They were piercing and far too intense for her liking, causing her to take a step back before heading in the direction of her own seat.

* * *

"Mione, you've barely touched your food," Ron commented as he continued to shovel food into his mouth.

It was a miracle she could even understand him but that's what happens when you spend years perfecting the art of becoming fluent in the language of those who speak with their mouths full. She glanced at her plate before setting her fork down.

"Sorry, guess I wasn't that hungry," she replied with a small frown.

It was the truth, she wasn't in the mood for eating and she wasn't sure why. He gestured to her food with a raised eyebrow. She, completely understanding his customized sign language, handed her food right over. Harry laughed beside her as she giggled while they watched Ron practically inhale her food. Ginny, who was sitting a ways from them beside Dean, frowned in disgust at her brother before giving Hermione a look that screamed 'how do you put up with it'. Hermione shrugged in amusement and was about to say something when she all of a sudden got the strongest feeling of eyes on her. She glanced around before her gaze finally settled on Malfoy who was dedicating half of his attention to listening to Theodore Nott go on about something beside him and dedicating the other half to gazing at her like she was a foreign enigma. She figured that a normal person would at least be a little bit embarrassed at having been caught staring but then again, Draco Malfoy didn't exactly count as a normal human being.

Her mind was screaming at her to look away and just ignore his odd behavior but her body wouldn't listen. Her body had a mind of its own as she not only continued to gaze back but also frown at him in question. The corner of his lips lifted into his trademark smirk before he grabbed his glass of pumpkin juice and lifted it to his mouth, keeping his watchful gaze on her the entire time. It wasn't until after he had set his cup down and darted his tongue out to catch the stray juice did she finally look away. She looked down at the table as she felt her cheeks heat up. She wasn't convinced of him being a Death Eater, not even remotely, but she did agree with Harry on one thing; something wasn't right about Draco Malfoy this year.

"You alright?"

She glanced up at Harry as he gazed at her in concern while resting his hand on her arm.

"Yeah, I'm fine. I just feel a bit…ill, is all," she reassured him with a small smile.

He slowly nodded as he raked his eyes over her, making sure she was okay.

"Okay."

He returned his attention to his food and she returned hers anywhere else but the Slytherin table.

* * *

"She's mental, I tell you. How on earth…"

She drowned out the sound of Ron's voice as she diligently took notes. He and Harry weren't going to be satisfied until Snape gave them detention, probably her too just by association. She tried her best to focus but that was seemingly impossible when someone was practically staring holes into your back. She didn't know why Harry and Ron chose the second to last row to seat themselves into. Especially since it's no secret that Malfoy and his gang of misfits have practically staked a claim on the seats in the back. Now that she thought about it, that's probably why Harry chose to sit back here, hoping that he could eavesdrop on Malfoy. As much as she disliked Malfoy, even he wasn't that thick in the head to start spouting Death Eater secrets right behind Harry Potter. That is, if he was in fact a Death Eater. She knocked her quill off of her desk and leaned down to pick it up, using this opportunity to glance behind her only to sit back up in a mixture of shock and fear. Malfoy had his eyes locked onto her and he wasn't even bothering to hide it.

She took a deep breath and forced herself to continue scribbling, pretending as if she couldn't feel his heated gaze on her. She almost cried in relief when they were dismissed and her friends stared at her in confusion as she sat there, waiting for the class to pile out. She wanted to be the very last one out so that she could be as far away from Malfoy as possible. She had thought that his staring yesterday had been odd but today it was just plain creepy.

"You two head on to lunch. I'll be there in a bit."

Ron didn't need to be told twice but Harry lingered in the doorway, glancing around the empty room before resting his eyes on her.

"Are you sure that you're okay, Hermione?"

She forced her smile to reach her eyes as she looked at him. Harry was already worried about so much. She didn't want to burden him with any of her petty problems.

"Yes, Harry. Go on and eat. I'll catch up," she reassured.

He shifted his feet a bit before nodding and disappearing out of the doorway. She sat there for a few more minutes before standing and putting her things into her bag. As she made her way out of the classroom she couldn't help but think about what the hell Malfoy's problem was.

"Why so down, Mudblood?"

She let out a shriek of surprise upon seeing Malfoy leaning against the wall beside the door. His arms were crossed and his head was tilted to the side as he stared at her with those piercing eyes.

"Wh-what are you doing here," she demanded.

She tried to ignore how her heart was currently going a mile a minute. Had he waited for her? Had she really been better off if she'd just left class with everyone else? He didn't answer her for a while and the way he stared at her unnerved her a bit.

"I was told to meet someone outside of Snape's class during lunch," he finally answered as he raked his eyes over her figure.

She unconsciously took a step back, to which he followed before shoving his hands into his pocket.

"What's wrong, Mudblood? You're not afraid of me are you," he mocked darkly.

If he had asked her this question a year ago, the answer would have been an automatic no. Maybe even with an expletive thrown in. But now…she was sure her answer would be yes. This wasn't the same Malfoy they had all grown used to. The Malfoy standing in front of her was someone completely different, not only in appearance, but in attitude as well. She leaned back a bit as it finally registered how tall he had gotten. His school shirt fit snug over his muscles and she briefly wondered what exactly it was that he did to obtain those muscles. His hair fell into his face and his eyes almost seemed to glow in comparison to his fair hair and skin. She couldn't help but think that this is what angels must look like but as soon as she thought that she immediately remembered something about Lucifer being one of the most beautiful angels of all.

Everything about this Malfoy screamed dangerous. He had a dark aura about him that would make anyone second guess challenging him, including her, she was reluctant to admit. She found herself absentmindedly glancing at his forearm only to be disappointed to find it covered. He followed her gaze before he smirked. He took a few more steps forward, which she mirrored before her back hit the wall.

"Looking for something?"

"No."

"You're a filthy liar, Granger," he hissed as he leaned his hands onto the wall, effectively trapping her.

She couldn't lean more into the wall if she tried. He was so close to her that she could smell him and he smelled like a mixture of vanilla, musk, and…cigarettes? Either way, it was still a very dangerous and tempting combination to be around. She couldn't do anything but stare at him as he leaned towards her with that God awful sneer plastered onto his face.

"I don't like liars, Mudblood."

"And I don't too much care for you either," she snapped.

He simply smirked before tilting his head towards the hall as the sound of approaching footsteps got louder. Her eyes widened in alarm, hoping that it wasn't one of her friends coming back to check on her. She was certain that Malfoy wouldn't move and she didn't even want to begin explaining the compromising position that she currently found herself in.

"Draco, come on."

She glanced over his shoulder to see Blaise Zabini and Theodore Nott standing at the end of the hall, Nott looking a bit impatient while Zabini simply smirked. Draco turned back to face her with an unreadable expression on his face before raking his eyes over her…again.

"Looks like you got lucky, Mudblood. Until next time," he said with a sneer before following after his friends.

She stood there for a few minutes, in shock, before finally getting the courage to make her way to what was left of lunch.

* * *

"He's obviously in desperate need of a hobby and it looks like he's found one in messing with you," Ginny explained as she flopped onto Hermione's bed.

"Merlin, I hope not. I have better things to worry about than some annoying boy who's hell bent on ruining my life."

"I'd say he's hardly a boy anymore. Wouldn't you agree," Ginny asked with a smirk.

Hermione rolled her eyes in disgust but couldn't help but to mentally agree, Malfoy was far from a boy. She'd never really noticed his looks before but the few times she did she couldn't help but to remember her revulsion at all the hair products he used and his scrawny figure. That wasn't the case anymore.

"And I'd say you're hardly a girl anymore."

"What has that got to do with anything," Hermione asked in confusion.

Ginny rolled over onto her stomach while twirling her wand in between her fingers.

"You've filled out some, it shows no matter how much you try to hide it, maybe he just wants a nice shag from you," Ginny reasoned with a shrug.

Hermione was tempted to throw something at the beautiful redhead.

"By calling me Mudblood and scaring me half to death? Oh, yeah, he's a real charmer, Ginny."

"Maybe that's his idea of foreplay," Ginny responded as she wiggled her eyebrows.

Hermione threw a pillow at her, causing her to laugh.

"You're thoroughly enjoying this aren't you?"

"Just a bit," Ginny answered.

"Are you forgetting the part where he's a suspected Death Eater?"

"Oh, please. This is Malfoy we're talking about. That's rubbish and you know it."

"Maybe," Hermione murmured.

Ginny sat up onto her knees before looking at her best friend in confusion.

"What do you mean," Ginny questioned.

Hermione shook her head in thought.

"He's different this year, Ginny. There's something about him that…that makes me uneasy. Something about him that almost makes me think that he could be a Death Eater."

Ginny stared at her for a bit before scooting back to lean against the headboard beside her.

"Have you told Harry?"

"And plant more ideas into his head? Harry's got enough on his plate. I don't want him to become fully invested in this Draco Death Eater business when it might just all be in my head."

"And if it's not? All in your head…"

Hermione shrugged.

"I don't know. But I do know that it won't be good."

* * *

Draco rolled onto his back then glanced at the panting girl beside him before resting his eyes on his ceiling in exasperation.

"And just what…do you think you are doing," he drawled.

The pretty brunette looked at him in confusion.

"I…well I thought-"

"Thought what? That'd I'd actually let you sleep here," he sneered as he turned to face her.

The green eyed girl was silent as she continued to lay there and stare at him like a fish out of water. He could see that her eyes were becoming glossy. Merlin, she was going to start crying. He shouldn't have been surprised but that still didn't stop him from mentally sighing.

"Yes," she quietly answered.

He snorted before rolling out of bed, naked as the day he was born, before beginning to search for his pants. There was no hope for his boxers. He mentally made a note to never sleep with this girl again. Of course, that would be much easier to do if he could actually remember her name.

"Listen…Violet-"

"_Viola_," she snapped.

_At least I was close_, he thought with a shrug.

"I'm pretty sure all of your pathetic friends have gossiped all about me so you know how this works. Why are you playing dumb?"

"I-"

"No, wait. Don't tell me, you thought that you'd be different. You figured that you were much better than any of the others, especially your friends, so why wouldn't I let you sleep over instead of kicking you out like some common slag," Draco commented wryly as he slipped his arms through the sleeves of his shirt.

He could hear her shuffling behind him, shuffling and sniffling. He rolled his eyes as he heard the door slam shut. Most of them almost always cried but it's not like it was his fault. They were the ones who came in here with these extra expectations when they knew exactly how he operated. He was Draco Malfoy, his reputation preceded him and he lived up to it. He tilted his head as he heard his door open and close again.

"They always come out crying. What the hell are you doing in here, Draco? Abusing them," Blaise questioned.

"Just their self-esteem," Draco commented as he buttoned up his shirt, leaving the first three undone.

"Well that can't be good for business," Theo teased.

"They always come back. I'm not worried…"

"Shouldn't you be working on the cabinet? Instead of shagging Merlin knows who," Blaise suggested as he sat on the edge of his bed, hands shoved into pockets.

His eye almost twitched as he thought about his task. It was a difficult task, no doubt about that, but it wasn't anything that he couldn't handle. Despite what others wanted to believe.

"No. I know exactly what I'm doing," he answered.

"You don't want to finish this as soon as possible? You're just giving people more reasons to doubt you," Theo asked.

Draco stood up straight before turning to face them with narrowed eyes while he adjusted his sleeves.

"Who's doubting," he asked darkly.

"The usual; Crabbe, Dolohov and the like. The ones who are hoping that you fail because they're worried about all of the time you've been spending with their precious Dark Lord," Blaise dryly answered as he examined his sleeve.

"You're his new favorite," Theo cooed.

"Favorite or not, I'm not doing this for Voldemort, I'm doing this for me. And he knows that too."

It was silent for a bit as Blaise stared at him in wonder before he suddenly lifted an eyebrow at Draco.

"That's why you're dragging this out. You've finally decided to take him up on his offer of giving you whatever it is that you want," Blaise reasoned.

"Yes…I have," Draco replied quietly as he thought about a certain curly haired Gryffindor.

He had spent weeks deciding on what it was that he wanted and it wasn't till of late that he finally made his decision on the mudblood. She intrigued him…

"And it would be…," Theo trailed off.

"I think the appropriate term would be who, Theo," Blaise said with a smirk.

Theo stared at Draco before he too smirked, accompanied by a chuckle.

"You're mental if you think she's going to willingly go anywhere with you. Especially after you complete your task," Theo chuckled.

"Well, it's a good thing that I have no qualms about taking what I want then," he commented.

"Do you plan on killing her friends in the process? They're never going to let you just walk out of here with her," Blaise added.

"I'll kill whoever I have to kill. Besides, I'm sure we can all agree that the world would be a much better place without Weasley," Draco hissed.

"Oh, I'm not arguing with that. I just don't think that this is going to be as easy as you think it's going to be…," Blaise retorted.

Draco frowned at Blaise as he let his words sink in. No, he wasn't expecting it to be easy but then again he was sure it wasn't going to be as difficult as they were making it out to be. Either way, it didn't matter. At the end of this year he was leaving Hogwarts with the mudblood either tucked into his side or thrown over his shoulder.

**Let me know what you think and don't forget to review.**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back, and so soon, with the second chapter. A much darker chapter I must warn. I've never written something like this and while I kept thinking 'omg' the whole time I must admit that I thoroughly enjoyed writing this chapter. It seems like you guys have taken quite a liking to this story but who doesn't love Dark!Draco. As always, I do appreciate your reviews and _constructive_ criticism is always welcome because I am still new to this.**

**Warning: This story contains Dark!Evil!Obsessive!Possessive!Draco. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

It was completely silent in the library, which Hermione was very thankful for. But then again it was pretty late and she was sure that even Madam Pince had left. The library was practically her second dorm so she trusted Hermione to lock it up once she was done. She was having trouble sleeping and she'd be lying if she said that she had no idea as to why. It seemed that every time she closed her eyes she couldn't help but to picture a much grayer pair that had the ability to stare into her very soul. Draco Malfoy was an enigma and that was very foreign to her. He'd always been predictable and easy to scare, not so much anymore. She briefly wondered what had happened to change him because one doesn't simply change like _that_ just because. There was always a reason. She wondered if it was because of his father's arrest before shaking her head at the thought. While Malfoy may have strived to be like his father once, she could tell that they weren't very close. But then again…she wasn't a part of the Malfoy household so how was she to know.

_Why am I even thinking about him_, she thought. That was a very good question. Malfoy was a tosser who was always hell bent on making her and her friends' lives hell. She should be pretending like he doesn't even exist. She whipped her head around to peer into the darkness as she thought that she'd heard a noise. She gently shut her book before standing up.

"Hello?"

She was certain that she'd heard someone. She set her book onto the table beside her lantern before cautiously walking down the aisle. She couldn't see a damn thing. She pulled out her wand.

"Lumos," she whispered.

She took a few more steps forward before her shoulders sagged, the tension immediately leaving them upon not seeing anybody. She blew out a breath and spun around only to shriek in fright.

"Bloody hell, Hermione. You've got some lungs on you," Cormac complained as he removed his hands from his ears.

"You scared me. What are you doing here," she gasped out.

He sheepishly grinned as he scratched the back of his head.

"Um…well, you see, I kind of have an assignment that's due the day after tomorrow and I wanted to ask you in advance for help."

She stared at him for a bit as she leaned against the bookshelf before nodding.

"Okay. But did you have to do that _now_?"

"Your friends told me where to find you…and I didn't want to come to you the day before it was due so…," he trailed off.

She nodded in agreement at his reasoning, even though her heart was still beating like crazy.

"Okay, meet me here tomorrow during lunch and dinner then," she sighed.

A grin broke out over his face.

"I'll make it up to you, promise," he stated.

"There's really no need for that-"

"No, really. I'll take you to the next Hogsmeade trip," he insisted, proud of himself, and before she could reply he had walked away.

She stared after him, wondering if she'd just been conned into a date. _With McLaggen_, she thought with a frown. A fleeting thought passed her mind that there wasn't really an assignment he needed assistance on. She walked back to her table to get her book only to find it missing. Her brows furrowed in confusion. She didn't remember putting it back on the shelf.

"Missing something?"

She spun around to face Malfoy who was leaning against the bookshelf behind her, her book gripped tightly in his hand. She narrowed her eyes at him.

"Have you been here the whole time," she demanded.

His only reply was a shrug before he flipped through the pages of the book.

"Honestly, how can you be entertained by such rubbish," he chided.

"If you think it's such rubbish then why do you even have it," she snapped, offended

"Simply trying to pick your brain a bit, get a feel for you so to speak," he lazily replied.

"I'd ask why but I suddenly remembered that I don't particularly care. Why are you here? Surely it's not solely for the purpose of trying to understand me."

"Believe it or not, Mudblood, you aren't the only one who has trouble sleeping," he answered.

She was tempted to ask him to elaborate on that but decided that, once again, she didn't care. She sighed before holding her hand out.

"I'd appreciate it if I could have my book back."

"I bet you would. Unfortunately for you, I think I'll hold onto it for a while," he drawled with a smirk as he tucked it into his robes.

She desperately wanted to stomp her foot against the floor like a child with a temper tantrum but decided against it.

"Dammit, Malfoy. Look, whatever game you're playing at, whatever bet you've made with your friends-"

"Bet? You think I'd participate in something as completely juvenile as a _bet_? Over you, no less," he hissed as he began to walk towards her.

She found herself gripping her wand tighter as she backed to the other side of the table, her eyes on him the entire time. Her back connected with a bookshelf and she found herself sliding along it, away from him.

"I don't participate in such childish games, Mudblood," he sneered.

In one stride he was upon her, shoving her book into her hands while also pinning her against the bookshelf with his body. She tried to wriggle her hands from in between their bodies but he simply shoved her into the bookshelf even more. She gasped as he leaned down until his nose was barely brushing against hers.

"When I play…I play for keeps," he purred into her face.

She closed her eyes as the smell of mint and cigarettes cascaded over.

"Do well to remember that."

And with that he was gone, leaving her alone in the dark with nothing but her fear and confusion for comfort.

* * *

Hermione finished adjusting her tie as she waited for Ginny to finally settle down. She was still in a bad mood because of what took place the other night, Ginny's antics weren't helping.

"Are you done," Hermione asked in exasperation.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry," Ginny chuckled.

"Somehow I doubt that," she grumbled.

"Can you blame me? Cormac has got to be the most arrogant narcissistic boy to have ever stepped foot into Hogwarts and somehow you end up saying yes to him taking you to Hogsmeade."

"For the last time, I didn't say yes. As a matter of fact he didn't even really ask. He practically told me that we were going to Hogsmeade together, the nerve of him. Can you believe that?"

"As a matter of fact, I can. This _is_ Cormac we're talking about," Ginny responded.

Hermione groaned as she dropped her face into her hands. She looked up as she felt a tug on her arm.

"Come on, let's go get some breakfast. That'll make you feel better," Ginny suggested as she tugged her downstairs.

Hermione frowned as they made their way out of the common room. Maybe she did need some food in her. She needed something, what with Malfoy's odd and creepy behavior towards her. She didn't want to admit just how uncomfortable he made her. Ginny stopped to look at her just as they walked into the Great Hall.

"Honestly, Hermione, do cheer up. It's just one day at Hogsmeade. If I had known you'd be so bent out of shape over it I wouldn't have teased you.

Hermione opened her mouth to protest that she wasn't upset over Cormac when she was rudely interrupted as a broad and muscular body practically bulldozed into her shoulder from behind. She looked up in time to see Malfoy sneer at her over his shoulder. Blaise and Nott kept on walking towards their table.

"Watch it, Granger," he hissed.

She didn't know what had come over her but she would be damned if she let him get away with something like this again. She wouldn't be Hermione Granger if she did. She took a step forward as he began to walk away from her.

"Watch what?_ You_ bumped into me," she called after him.

She could hear the chatter amongst the nearby tables drastically lessen as several students turned to look at her with wide eyes. She heard Ginny's quiet intake of breath behind her as Malfoy stopped and slowly spun around to face her with an unreadable expression.

"_What_ did you just say to me…Mudblood?"

She took several steps forward until she was standing directly in front of him. She didn't know where this sudden courage had come from but who was she to question it. She wasn't put into Gryffindor for nothing, She tried to ignore how hardly anyone was talking now, far too engrossed in the confrontation unfolding before them.

"I said, _you_ bumped into _me_. Are you not only blind but hard of hearing as well," she snapped.

She heard several gasps and quiet murmurs before Malfoy narrowed his eyes and took a step forward. They were almost touching now. Out of the corner of her eye she could see Nott practically vibrating in anticipation while Zabini simply smirked. Malfoy suddenly grinned. It wasn't a nice happy-go-lucky grin either. It was a sinister grin, one filled with malice. The type of grin you'd see on a villain in a movie. She was briefly reminded of The Joker, a villain from the muggle franchise, Batman. He let out a humorless chuckle as he reached up to finger one of her ringlets.

"My, my, my… The kitten has claws after all. I do find that interesting because that certainly wasn't the case the other night," he purred.

Her eyes widened and her heart lurched as students on the ends of the tables reacted to the insinuation. Unfortunately for her, two of her best friends had decided to sit closer to the doors today. She cringed as she felt their eyes staring holes into her back.

"All the same, you were right. My mistake, Granger," he whispered as he raked his eyes over her before heading back to his table.

She blew out a breath as the hall filled with its usual volume of chatter, no doubt, about her and Malfoy. She felt Ginny's hand on her shoulder.

"Hermione…what the _hell_ was that about?"

"Yes, Hermione. What the bloody hell was that about," a familiar voice hissed.

She turned and walked out of the hall without a second glance towards her friends.

"Hermione!"

"It was nothing, okay," she huffed as she spun around to face them.

Ron was livid, no surprise there, but for once, Harry's expression matched his. She shouldn't have been too surprised. After all, he was convinced that Malfoy was a Death Eater and said suspected Death Eater had just let everyone believe that they were having some illicit affair.

"_That_ was your version of nothing? It sure as hell didn't look like nothing. What the hell did he mean by the 'other night'," Harry demanded.

"Harry, just drop it," she groaned.

"**No**. I will not _drop it_. Did you and him-"

"No," she interrupted with a glare, fully knowing what he was about to ask.

His face softened a bit as he looked her over.

"Did he…he didn't do anything to you, did he," he frantically asked, on the verge of a panic attack.

"No, Harry. He was just being his usual self the other night in the library, all he did was catch me off guard and manage to startle me a bit."

"He was far too familiar with you for my liking," Ron snapped.

She rolled her eyes at him before looking at Ginny. She seemed to be the only one aside from her with some common sense and from the expression that she was giving Hermione, she could tell that she was thinking the same thing.

"Ron's right, Hermione."

She and Ginny both looked at Harry in disbelief.

"You're joking right?"

Harry frowned as he took a step towards her.

"No, I'm not. I don't trust Malfoy one bit and he seemed far too interested in you back there."

She let out a chuckle of disbelief before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Harry, in case it somehow escaped your attention, I did challenge him, deliberately too. Did you really expect him to just ignore me? With the entire hall watching? Clearly you don't know Malfoy as well as you think you do," she explained.

"No, Hermione. It was more than that. I didn't like the way he was looking at you-"

"And how was he looking at me, Harry? Like he wanted to murder me? Like he wanted to lift his wand to the sky and yell 'Morsmordre' and have Voldemort himself come down here and Avada me," she mocked.

"He was looking at you like you were his next meal! He looked like he wanted to devour you whole and I didn't like it," he snapped furiously.

"Well in case you haven't noticed, this is Malfoy that we are talking about; Racist Pureblood Extraordinaire. And I am the filthy Mudblood who is the perfect embodiment of everything that he was brought up to hate. So whatever _look_ you think you saw, I can assure you that it wasn't genuine. He's _messing_ with me. He's probably doing it to get to you and it's working!"

"Hermione-"

"If it'll make you feel better I'll avoid him at all costs. I won't sit anywhere near him in class and anytime he walks into a room I'll just leave," she sarcastically offered.

To her surprise he and Ron both seemed to sigh in relief.

"That would make me feel a lot better actually."

She threw up her hands in exasperation as she turned to face Ginny.

"Unbelievable."

"I'm not playing around, Hermione. You may have been joking but I am entirely serious. _I don't. Trust. Him_."

She sighed before reluctantly nodding.

"That's all I'm asking for, for you to just be cautious," he said.

With one last lingering look at her he walked back into the hall with Ron close behind. She shook her head in a mixture of disbelief, frustration, and anger.

"Are you coming back to breakfast," Ginny quietly asked.

Hermione shook her head. She had suddenly lost her appetite.

"Okay. Just so you know, I think the boys are mental."

Hermione let out a laugh.

"I'm glad someone agrees with me."

* * *

She had never really liked patrolling much. She wasn't too fond of the dark and that's all patrolling really was; walking around the castle at night. In this case, it was walking around the castle at night alone. Any other time Hermione would have been a bit fearful but tonight was different. She was using this alone time to her advantage to reflect on recent events and she came up with a few conclusions. One, Harry was completely obsessed with Draco Malfoy and his Death Eater status. She didn't trust Malfoy either but she knew for a fact that Harry's sudden frantic wariness was because he thought Malfoy to be a Dark Lord wannabe. If Malfoy did have some elaborate plan then this was probably it, completely distracting Harry from the important matters at hand and boy was it working. She had to admit that Malfoy was no longer the same spineless twit they'd all grown up with though. Which brought her to her second conclusion; Malfoy had not only changed in appearance but in mind as well. He'd upped the ante from his harmless teasing to more mature methods and she had to admit that she was a bit impressed because whether or not she cared to admit it, he did frighten her a bit.

She suddenly slowed as she noticed a tall figure come out of what she recognized as the Room of Requirement. She quickly hurried her steps as she shined her wand in front of her. Imagine her surprise, and disdain, when her eyes fell on that familiar head of blond hair. Malfoy, clearly now just noticing the light, turned to her in mild surprise before it was quickly covered by a smirk.

"And just what are you up to at this time of night, Malfoy," she inquired as she stopped in front of him.

"No good," he answered as his smirk grew.

She rolled her eyes.

"Uh-huh. I'm sure. I'll be informing one of the Heads of this so that they can remove points accordingly, seeing as you aren't from my house. I trust that you know your way back to the dungeons," she quipped, suddenly remembering her conversation with Harry.

"What's the matter, Granger? Your boyfriend tell you to stay clear of me," he mocked as she began to walk away.

She spun around to pin him with a scowl.

"No, actually. I just genuinely despise your very presence."

"I doubt that," he remarked.

She literally felt her left eye twitch as she stalked towards him.

"Let's get one thing straight, Malfoy. I do not wish to participate in whatever game you're playing. If you want to rile Harry up, have at it, just make sure you leave me out of it. Got it," she hissed.

"The boyfriend must have given you a stern talking to if you're this tense."

"He's not my boyfriend," she hissed as she took another step towards him.

"What's the matter? He didn't please you enough," he whispered as his hand reached out to rest on her shoulder.

He began to draw lazy circles on her neck with his thumb and she tried her best to ignore how it made her feel. She would not let him get to her. She looked up at him as his eyes seemed to glow in the darkness.

"I'm going to pretend like you didn't even ask me that."

"_I_ could make you forget your own name with all of the pleasure I could bring to you," he purred as he tightly gripped her waist and pulled her closer.

"As if I'd permit you to do any such thing," she said between clenched teeth, trying to ignore the feel of his body against hers.

She let out a pained gasp as he suddenly slammed her against the wall, one hand on her waist and the other plucking her wand from her trembling fingers. Her heart sank as she heard it clatter to the floor behind him. That same hand came up to entangle itself in her hair before he jerked her head back, exposing her neck. She could only wriggle her legs in protest, and she could barely do that, as he leaned his head down to brush his lips against her throat. They slowly traveled up to her chin before stopping, a hair's width away from her own lips, leaving a scorching trail in their wake. She once again inhaled that dangerous cocktail that was his scent.

"When I'm done with you, I won't need your permission. You'll simply be begging for it."

Damn her teenage hormones and sexual frustration because what he said should not have caused a warm feeling to lowly settle in her stomach. It should have terrified her, which it did, but it should have definitely overpowered the lust she was feeling. She roughly bucked against him and managed to free one of her hands before roughly pushing against his shoulder.

"You disgust me," she snarled.

_Liar_, a dark voiced hissed in her head. With that thought she struck his shoulder again and was about try for a third when he caught her wrist in his iron grip. Her other wrist was in his other hand but that did not stop her from struggling against him.

"What's wrong, Hermione?"

He drawled her name in a seductive tone and she flinched, not because it frightened her but because she liked it. And that terrified her more than anything.

"Are you afraid because you know I'm telling the truth? Does it frighten you to know that I could -how do you muggles say it- _rock your world_? I bet my galleons that it's already playing out in that pretty little head of yours. You writhing beneath me in the throes of passion as I-"

"Stop it," she hissed.

"Thrust into you. You beg me for more and I, being a generous lover, am only happy to oblige," he continued as he pulled her away from the wall only to slam her against it once more for emphasis.

She was not only disgusted with him but with herself as well because everything he was saying was true. She spit in his face and watched in satisfaction as his expression morphed into one of anger and disgust. He murmured a quick 'Scourgify' before yanking her away from the wall.

"It seems like you need a quick lesson in respecting your superiors," he stated calmly as if he were simply talking about the weather.

"You'll never be superior to me, you vile git!"

She suddenly winced in pain as his grip on her wrists tightened. She tried not to let it show, not to even make a noise, but after a while it was becoming too much. She let out a whimper as she tried to get him to loosen his hold. He emotionlessly stared into her eyes as he began to bend her wrists back in retaliation, causing her to yelp in extreme discomfort before being forced to her knees.

"If I am not your superior…then why are you on your knees before me, my sweet lioness?"

She cursed her traitorous body as a tear escaped down her cheek. Her mind flashed back to her argument with Harry and she was seriously beginning to doubt that Malfoy was still only messing with her. She nearly cried again in relief as he suddenly let go of her wrists, her now bruised wrists.

* * *

He looked down at her in satisfaction before he walked over to where her wand was and picked it up. He absentmindedly twirled it between his fingers as he made his way back over to her position. He squatted down in front of her and held it out for her to take. He watched, transfixed, as she looked up at his hand through the curls that had fallen over her face. He was tempted to wrap one around his finger and give it a gentle tug but he resisted. She snatched it away from him and he couldn't help that feeling of pride that washed over him as he caught a glimpse of the finger prints on her wrist. Those were _his_ fingerprints and seeing _his_ mark on her left him feeling satisfied. Of course she could always use a glamour charm, knowing her she would, but he would still know. And so would she. This would be their little secret.

How was he so sure that she wouldn't say anything? Simple, this was Hermione that he was talking about. He _knew_ her. She wouldn't breathe a word of this to anyone, not even her redheaded sidekick because her pride simply wouldn't let her. She would want to deal with this problem herself, handle him on her own and that would be her downfall. She wouldn't want the 'Duo of Dunces' to freak out and cause a scene. She would hate that because she, simply, would be right smack in the middle of it. He tilted his head to the side and stood just as she did.

"What? No kiss," he stated with a pout.

"Fuck you," she spat.

_I plan to make that happen_, he thought as he gazed at her. Her eyes were burning with anger but he could see the lust hidden away behind there. She couldn't fool him, no matter how much she tried.

"Sleep tight. I hope you dream of me," he sweetly stated before walking away.

She would dream of him, he'd make sure of it. He smirked before flicking his wand, easily blocking the nonverbal spell she'd thrown his way. Oh, yes, she'd be fun.

**0_0 I have nothing to say for my behavior nor Draco's. At least now we see where the title comes from. Review, review, review! They're much appreciated.**


	3. Chapter 3

**I'm back with another update. I was trying to update this and Tainted around the same time but it looks like that's not going to happen. You all have taken such a liking to this story and that motivates me so much. This is so different from anything I've ever written and let me tell you, I literally cringe everytime I write in Draco's POV because he's so...mean and demented and just ugh. Anyway school has started back and I'm trying to schedule fanfiction time into my life now and I really appreciate the reviews guys.**

**Warning: This story contains Dark!Evil!Obsessive!Possessive!Draco. **

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

_She cried out once again as his hips came down with a vengeance, effectively pinning her to the bed. She couldn't think straight. He was everywhere, all around her and in her and Hermione was seeing stars. Her wrists, pinned beside her head by his iron grip, were starting to ache but she didn't care. She could hardly see a thing in the dark room but her eyes could easily pin point his eyes from a mile away. He was staring down at her, his eyes a swirling mixture of raw last, determination, and concentration. With a mischievous glint in his eye, he suddenly halted his movements and Hermione nearly moaned in protest. She bucked her hips, trying to create some form of friction, but he simply pressed himself harder against her, preventing any movement from her lower half. He lowered his head so that his lips came in contact with her throat._

_"Hermione…"_

_Her name was but a sweet caress on his lips as the sound seemed to echo throughout the quiet room._

_"Who do you belong to," he questioned, sweetly._

_She knew what he wanted and she would not give it to him, even while in such a vulnerable position._

_"No one," she whispered just as sweetly._

_He pulled back to look at her, the hunger evident in his gaze but the determination was winning for the time being._

_"Who do you belong to," he whispered, an underlying edge to his tone._

_She simply stared back, refusing to answer, and suddenly his expression twisted into one of fury and frustration. Before she had time to register what was happening, his hand was around her throat, cutting off all airway. His upper lip curled back over his teeth as he leaned down until his nose was pressed against hers._

_"You belong to me," he hissed._

_She shook her head._

_"Say it! You belong to me! You are **mine**," he snarled._

* * *

"Hermione, Hermione!"

She gasped in fright as her eyes flew open and she struck out as a reflex. Luckily for Ginny Weasley, she also had fast reflexes and was able to dodge the flying fist. They each stared at the other wide eyed, Ginny in caution and Hermione in shock and horror.

"Oh Merlin! I'm sorry, Ginny-"

"It's alright, it's alright-"

"No! I-"

"Hermione," the redhead said her name firmly as she gripped the older girl's shoulder.

Hermione blinked.

"It's okay. Some dream, huh?"

Hermione sighed before running her fingers through her unruly hair. 'Some dream' didn't even cover the half of it. She wished that this dream had been the first but, sadly, it wasn't and there was no doubt in her mind that it wouldn't be the last. They were more like nightmares, to be honest, all of them starting out differently but eventually ending in a similar fashion to the one before.

"You have no idea."

Ginny didn't respond, instead she just stared at Hermione with a peculiar expression.

"What," Hermione questioned.

Ginny fidgeted, suddenly uncomfortable.

"You…you said his name…in your sleep," she quietly answered.

"Whose?"

"Malfoy…well, Draco. That's what you called him."

Hermione stared at her in a mixture of confusion and dread.

"I did?"

The redhead nodded.

"I-…that's odd. I didn't dream about him or anything. The foul git must really be getting to me," she lied.

"You can't let him do that, Hermione. He isn't even worth your time, no matter how hot he is," Ginny added.

"Yeah…"

"Are you okay, though," Ginny suddenly asked.

"Of course. Why wouldn't I be," she replied as she looked up at her.

"Hermione, you never sleep in. Even if it is Saturday," Ginny explained slowly.

Hermione eyebrows furrowed as she looked around to notice the dorm room empty.

"Sleep…in? What time is it?"

"It's almost one in the afternoon."

"What," she exclaimed just before jumping out of bed.

"I wanted to wake you but…you've just seemed really tired these past few days so…"

Hermione's shoulders sagged as she thought about the reason why. The incident outside of the Room of Requirement the other night had definitely shaken her, there was no point in even lying to herself about that. She absentmindedly rubbed her hands over her wrists. She had avoided Malfoy like the plague and if she was being honest, she was disappointed in herself. So what if Malfoy wasn't messing with her. So what if he seemed to be serious about whatever the hell it is that he's doing. That didn't excuse his behavior nor did it excuse hers. She was Hermione Granger and she was going to be damned if she let Malfoy win this battle. Was she being a bit dramatic? Not in the slightest. She was determined to finish what he'd started.

"Uh…Hermione? Where are you going," Ginny questioned as she watched her friend quickly throw on some clothes.

Hermione quickly put her hair up into a messy bun.

"I have something that I need to take care of. Don't worry, it won't take long," she stated, determined.

* * *

She shifted from foot to foot, as she had been doing for the past few minutes now. She'd found the person she was looking for but she didn't know how to approach him exactly. She couldn't believe that she was starting to chicken out. Where had all that bravado from earlier gone? Said person suddenly caught her eye and smirked before returning to his conversation with the pretty blonde in front of him. She narrowed her eyes before marching over to him.

"Zabini," she interrupted.

The half Italian boy glanced at her before returning his attention back to the blonde and giving a jerk of his head. The other girl threw a glare Hermione's way before walking off.

"How might I help you, Granger," he asked with a smirk.

"I need Slytherin's password."

He looked at her in mild surprise.

"Why…?"

"Because I need to speak with Malfoy."

"Oh, really," he asked with a leer.

She rolled her eyes with a huff before crossing her arms over her chest.

"Yes, really. Are you going to give it to me or not?"

He seemed to think about it for a bit.

"Depends. What do you need to talk to Malfoy about?"

"That doesn't concern you."

He shrugged before standing up.

"He'll tell me anyway," he said as he walked past her.

She cautiously followed, ignoring the curious looks that they were receiving from students that they passed. The walk to the Slytherin dorms was quiet. Although, Zabini did seem to look over his shoulder at her with a smirk from time to time. She couldn't help but to frown back at him every time he did. They had finally reached the entrance after what seemed like forever when walking through the dungeons. It was dark, cold, and all around creepy. Fitting for Slytherin she supposed.

"Parselmouth."

The stone wall moved to reveal a passage, a dimly lit passage. She followed him inside and jumped a bit when the wall shut behind them. The walk was fairly short, fortunately, and it wasn't long before they had reached the Common Room. The Common Room was basically a dungeon with green lamps and chairs. The light in the room gave off a green tinge which she knew was because of the lake. All of the furniture was either dark green or black with the exception of the wooden cupboards. It was definitely spacious and impressive but it was also cold and had a sinister atmosphere. There were a few students around who didn't bother to hide their distaste at her being there. Nor did they bother to hide their surprise and curiosity as she followed Zabini through the door that she guessed was the boys' dormitories.

"I'm guessing you don't bring girls through here often?"

"Oh, no, I definitely do. I just don't usually bring Gryffindor muggleborns, namely those who go by Hermione Granger."

She rolled her eyes as they finally stopped in front of a door, the last door. She found herself rubbing her wrists again as he barged inside.

"I've got a present for you, Draco," Zabini said in amusement as he blocked her view.

"Probably nothing I haven't had before," was Malfoy's dry reply.

She was getting a bit impatient.

"Oh, I seriously doubt that," Zabini said just before she shoved her way past him and into the room.

Malfoy looked genuinely surprised before a smirk slowly crept over his face. They stared at each other, mostly glaring on her part, as he slid into a sitting position on the edge of his bed. She shouldn't have been surprised that he had a dorm room all to himself, it was probably bought in advance. She'd almost forgotten about the other Slytherin who was watching in silence.

"Thank you, Zabini but you may go now."

She watched as he raised an eyebrow at Malfoy.

"You heard the lady," Malfoy said with a smirk as he gestured to the door.

Zabini simply chuckled before exiting, closing the door behind him. Not two seconds after the door had closed, Hermione had already made her way over to the blonde before promptly striking him across the face. She continued to hit at him, again and again, and much to her dismay, he either blocked or dodged almost every one.

"You foul _loathsome_-"

"Are you done," he said in amusement as he halted her attacks by wrapping his arms around her.

"**Let go of me**-"

"Silly me. I thought that you came back for more," he replied as he let his arms drop to his sides.

She glared at him as she pointed her wand at his neck. She was panting, she couldn't remember a time when she was so angry.

"And just what are you going to do with that? Kill me," he asked as he glanced down at her wand.

"I have no intentions of killing you," she snapped.

Hexing him, on the other hand, didn't sound like such a bad idea. But then she immediately remembered how he easily blocked her nonverbal spell that night. He suddenly stood, a sinister smirk perfectly in place, causing her to raise her wand.

"You probably should…kill me, I mean," he started as he walked towards her.

"And why is that," she asked, mimicking his every step in the opposite direction.

"Because death…would be the only thing that will stop me…from getting what I want," his reply was dark and his face, serious.

He suddenly stopped walking and she wasn't sure why until she glanced behind her. She wasn't too far from the door. She turned back around to face him before tightening her grip on her wand.

"And that would be," she shakily asked.

He didn't immediately reply, instead he examined her from underneath his lashes.

"That's for me to know and you to dot, dot, dot," he said in amusement.

She was done playing games with him.

"Look, Malfoy-"

"Oh, I think we're far past the last name basis, don't you? After that wonderful night we had-"

"Wonderful! Wonderful, he says! You are a _disgusting troll_. You- you _violated_ me. You practically molested me and just about broke my wrists," she snapped.

"Broke? I think that's a bit melodramatic, don't you," he incredulously asked.

"I have half a mind to go straight to Dumbledore," she hissed.

"But we both know that you won't."

Her eyes widened as she opened and closed her mouth.

"I…. Who are you to tell me what I will and won't do? I could go to him. As a matter of fact, I just might. I'm very tempted to have you expelled."

He smirked before taking another step towards her, one she did not mimic. His smirk only seemed to grow as she stood her ground.

"And why is that, my sweet lioness? Is it so that you won't be tempted by the mere thought of me? Out of sight out of mind, is that it? You figure, if I'm gone then you won't have a reason to feel awful about the way I make you feel. You won't feel guilty for the thoughts that would make your friends turn their backs on you. You won't keep imagining all of the fun that we could have together. You won't keep dreaming about me…"

Her eyes snapped up to meet his with a horrified, accusing stare. She blinked before looking away, in disgust or shame, she couldn't tell. It was probably both because even though she loathed to admit it to herself, everything that he was saying was true. He was a vulgar and demented tosser but she still found herself attracted to him to which she eagerly blamed on her lack of physical activity and her hormones.

"You can't lie to yourself forever, Hermione," he whispered as he reached towards her face.

Her eyes were on him again as she smacked his hand away.

"Stop pretending that you know anything about me because you don't. You disgust me, Malfoy."

Her voice shook and she cursed herself for it. To make matters worse, he didn't even reply. He just smirked before turning around and walking away from her.

"Is that all you came for?"

"I stopped by to tell you to leave me alone. I mean it, Malfoy. I want you to stay away from me."

"Okay," he said with a shrug.

"I'm serious!"

His only reply was a crooked smile. She glared at him one last time before leaving, slamming the door behind her.

* * *

"Harry-"

"Who would lie about that? No one would even believe it so it _has_ to be true!"

"Look! Here she comes. Just ask her yourself…"

She slowed as she got to where they were sitting, at the far end of the table away from everyone else. She had a brief idea of what it was that they were discussing but she hoped she was wrong.

"Hey, Ginny…Harry, Ron," she greeted as she sat down beside her best friend.

"Hey, Hermione."

Ron only glared at her while Harry just stared.

"Um…Harry wanted to ask you something, something important," Ginny started with a pointed look at said boy.

Harry sighed before leaning in.

"Some Slytherins…well, I know that it can't possibly be true but some Slytherins were saying that they saw you going into the boys' dorms with…Blaise Zabini," he said with a clenched jaw.

"So what is it that you're asking me because that wasn't really a question," she nervously whispered.

"Are you skulking around with that dark haired snake," Ron hissed.

She blinked, trying to decide whether or not to lie. If she confirmed it she would just have to come up with a lie anyway as to why because she surely couldn't go down the Malfoy road. Then they'd yell at her and tell her about how dangerous that was. But if she denied it, blamed it on some bored student, then all would be well. Unless, of course, she were to eventually be caught in that lie.

"Hermione?"

Harry's voice, dripping with a mixture of fear and concern, brought her out of her musings.

"Of course not. To be honest, I'm a little hurt to think that you'd even believe something so ridiculous," she incredulously answered.

Both Harry and Ron seemed to sigh in relief.

"Sorry," Ron mumbled.

"It's ok," she quietly replied.

"No, it's not. You're our friend so we should know you better than that. We should have known that you'd never be caught dead in the dungeons, let alone going into the boys' dormitory with Zabini," Harry added remorsefully.

"Harry, it's alright. It's not your fault that some bored student with no life decided that they were going to try and ruin mine today."

She rested her hand over his on top of the table as she tilted her head at him.

"Okay?"

He nodded before glancing at their hands and smiling at her. She reached for her fork before glancing up to see Ron frowning at Harry's hand, where hers' just was, before flicking his eyes up to her. She looked at him in question but he merely looked at his food before starting to eat. She frowned, wondering what that was all about. She was quiet throughout the rest of dinner, too engrossed in her own thoughts. She felt incredibly guilty about lying to her friends but she felt even worse after seeing how bad they felt, especially Harry. She'd have to be more careful from now on. But then again, after her talk with Malfoy, she was sure that there wouldn't be a need to be careful. She desperately hoped that he understood just how serious she was and that he would leave her alone. Ginny was right; the boy was bored and in desperate need of a hobby so she was sure that he'd just leave her alone. _After all, there isn't anything too special about me_, she thought with a small frown. Ever since she was a child she always considered herself to be quite plain and she was sure that everyone else's thoughts were no different. Granted, in the last few years or so she'd grown into a less hideous looking young lady, at least in her mind, but it was nothing spectacular.

She was shocked to find herself feeling a bit disappointed at the idea of Malfoy leaving her alone. Was she _that _desperate for attention from the opposite sex? Or was she merely trying to 'find her place in life', so to speak? She scoffed at her sudden train of thought, briefly catching the attention of Harry. She was Hermione Granger, she didn't need some boy to validate her purpose in life, especially some boy like Malfoy. _But Malfoy is no boy_. While that was true, she still stood by her previous statement. But still, she did find herself often wondering what it would be like to be in the place of someone like Lavender Brown or even one of the Greengrass sisters. There were days when she longed to be a normal witch that boys sought after, a witch that didn't have to worry about keeping her best friend alive and trying to save the world. There were those days when she wished that her biggest worry was not finding a top to match her shoes.

She set her fork down, suddenly not hungry, before resting her chin on her hand. Was she finally going through that phase that every other girl in her grade had already gone through? That phase where she was actually starting to care about boys and how they viewed her. She let out a sigh and was just about to pick up her fork again when a sudden change in the atmosphere caught her attention. She lifted her eyes just in time to see Harry turn back around with a furious expression on his face.

"Harry? What is it," she asked in concern.

She watched as the skin around his knuckles grew taut as his hand clenched around his fork.

"Harry," she said more firmly, catching the attention of Ginny and Ron.

"Malfoy. He's staring at you," he said with clenched teeth.

Ginny looked up and Ron spun around just as all of the color seemed to have drain from her face.

"I doubt that-"

"No, Harry's right," Ginny said quietly.

Hermione finally lifted her eyes to the Slytherin table to find that Harry was indeed right; Draco Malfoy was staring right at her with that stupid smirk. She averted her eyes just as Harry spoke.

"Did he bother you again," he demanded.

"No, no. I don't know what his issue is but it's just that; _his issue_. Just ignore him," she quickly replied.

She sighed in relief as her friends reluctantly followed her lead in just ignoring him. But for her, she wished that it was that easy.

* * *

"Hermione, can I talk to you about something?"

She lifted her head from her parchment to meet Harry's gaze. She recognized determination swimming in his eyes but she also noticed some fear and apprehension as well. She leaned back into the sofa before setting her homework aside. It was getting late and they were the only ones who remained in the common room.

"Of course. What's wrong?"

He sighed as he ran his fingers through his unruly hair before sitting beside her.

"What I'm about to ask of you is…insane and contradictory. Especially since I've made it pretty clear on how I feel about Malfoy…"

"Oh, Harry," she groaned in protest as she buried her face in her hands.

She could already see where this was going. She could almost hear the cogs working in his brain as this played out in his head.

"Just…hear me out, please," he pleaded.

She lifted her face a fraction of an inch in order to look at him.

"It's obvious that Malfoy has taken an interest in you. Whether it's because he's bored or trying to throw me off, I don't know. But I'm thinking that we could use this to our advantage. You could get close to him…try and figure some things out."

She was quiet for some time. Not only did she think this wasn't going to work, Malfoy was smarter than they gave him credit for, but she was trying to avoid him like the plague. She'd just threatened him to leave her alone so he would definitely be skeptical if she suddenly had a change of heart. She really didn't want to do this but she couldn't exactly refuse. As far as Harry knew, she didn't have any concrete reasoning or proof of Malfoy being dangerous.

"I thought that you didn't trust him, Harry…"

"I don't! But…I trust you, Hermione. I probably trust you as much as I trust Dumbledore, maybe more. After that argument that we had outside of the Great Hall the other day, I got to thinking. You're a big girl and as protective as I am of you I do have to keep reminding myself that you can take care of yourself. No matter how much I wish I could do it for you," he whispered.

She let out a sigh as Harry played with a stray curl. If only he knew just how much she couldn't take care of herself. If he knew of what had happened the other night, Malfoy would probably be dead by now. She looked at Harry as he gazed at her with an unfamiliar expression before finally nodding.

"Okay, I'll do it. But you owe me, Potter," she said as she returned her attention to her homework.

She looked back up at him when he didn't reply.

"What," she asked in response to his frown.

He shook his head.

"It's nothing…"

* * *

She sunk into the water with a heavy sigh. The prefect's bathroom was a heavenly place to take a bath, they'd said and they weren't wrong. She could feel her body relaxing and she desperately wished that she could just wash all of her problems away. Malfoy was a foul git, albeit a sexy one, who was determined to make her life hell. She'd concocted this brilliant plan to just simply avoid him, make him leave her alone. She felt like that would have worked but Harry just had to come through and ruin that. He wanted her to get close to him! That was the exact opposite of what she wanted to do. Perhaps her biggest problem of all was that Malfoy had been right. She had hoped that avoiding him would simply make her attraction to him go away and now that Harry wanted her to get close and personal with him…. She shook her head.

She focused on her surroundings, thinking she'd heard a noise, but she'd locked the door so there was no chance of someone coming in. And if they did, she'd definitely hear them. She closed her eyes again. She needed to figure something out. How was she supposed to get closer to Malfoy while also fighting her attraction to him? Her eyes flew open and she gasped in fright when someone grabbed her leg. She kicked out as she reached for her wand but faltered and let out a shriek when she felt a sharp pain on the inside of her thigh. She reached for her wand again and as soon as her fingers brushed the wood she was dragged under. Her movements were far too frantic and jerky to see anything but she did notice a muscular fair skinned arm.

She and the other person finally resurfaced. She spluttered as she was gently shoved into the side of the tub. It took her a few blinks for her vision to clear and her eyes to refocus on what was in front of her. But when she did she felt as if her heart was going to jump out of her chest. She found herself shrinking away as he gazed at her through hooded eyes. She watched as his eyes roamed over her face and down to her neck, stopping at the bubbles that hid the rest of her body from view. She swallowed before finally finding her voice.

"Have you lost your mind," she whispered.

The corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.

"Maybe," he huskily whispered.

She noticed, with horror, that his lips had a light stain of red on them. She remembered the pain she'd felt on her thigh before her eyes widened.

"Did you _bite me_," she hissed.

"It's called foreplay, Granger."

She swung her hand out to slap him but he easily caught it.

"I like it rough, but I will only let you go so far," he teased.

"You need to leave. You aren't even a prefect!"

"So," he murmured against her hand.

Her breathing was becoming erratic as he trailed his nose down her for arm.

"What are you doing," she asked, panicked.

"I'm not sure. I saw you come in here and I just went with it. I figured it'd be hot and exciting."

"I'm not going to have sex with you," she snapped.

He suddenly leaned in, she could feel his lips brush against the shell of her ear.

"But it'd be fun, not to mention erotic as hell. Can you imagine how _exhilarating_ that would be? Especially knowing that someone could walk in at any time and catch us in the act," he whispered.

She laid her hand on his chest to push him away but it seemed that he had other ideas. He held her hand in place with his as he ran the tip of his nose along her shoulder. She closed her eyes, this was too much. He was making her feel things that she didn't want to feel. She suddenly shoved past him to the other side of the tub.

"Aw, I've scared her off."

"I'm finished with my bath," she snapped.

She turned around as she heard water splash behind her just in time to see Malfoy glide out of the tub. She sucked in a breath through her lips as she stared at him. It wasn't fair that someone so horrible could look that good. She felt cliché thinking that he looked so much like a Greek God but it was the only comparison that would do him justice. She watched, transfixed, as droplets of water cascaded into the curve of his back and down his legs. He was a modern day Apollo. She averted her eyes just as he turned around with that annoying smirk of his. She did look up when he made his way over to her bathrobe and she watched in horror as he picked it up.

"Hey! That's mine," she exclaimed.

He feigned surprise.

"Is it? Well I guess you better come and get it then."

Her eyes widened as he held it up. No one had ever seen her naked before, aside from her parents but she was only a child then. There was no way that she was getting out. On the other hand, Harry did want her to get closer to him but she was positive that this wasn't what he meant. But if she was going to succeed, that meant that she had to beat Malfoy at his own game. With a clenched jaw, she pulled herself out of the tub and made her way over to him. She wasn't sure how confident she looked on the outside but on the inside she was practically vibrating.

* * *

He was at a loss for words as she climbed out of the bath. Every fiber of his being was screaming at him to go to her, claim her in every way a woman should be. But instead he clenched his teeth together as she made her way over to him. He hardly noticed her snatching the article of clothing out of his hands, his attention far too engrossed on the way the water slid down every curve and ridge on her figure. He had to admit that he was shocked that she'd gotten out. He had expected her to cower in there for quite some time. He frowned as the offending item was wrapped around her, hiding her from him. But the thin robe still clung to her shape like a second skin, and what a wonderful shape it was. Somehow, the girl in front of him had grown into a woman, a vixen and he didn't know how he hadn't noticed. She was perfect for him and he couldn't wait until the day when he would make her his.

He smirked as she shoved her way past him before holding up a possession of hers.

"Aren't you forgetting something?"

He watched in amusement as she spun around, her curls flying, to face him with a frown. He took delight in the way her lips parted in a silent gasp.

"Give me my wand," she snarled.

He only chuckled.

"I'm serious."

"Fine. Kiss me then," he replied with a shrug.

It seemed that she wasn't expecting that response because she actually looked taken back.

"What," she whispered.

He suddenly grew serious as he took a step towards her.

"Kiss me," he huskily answered in a dark tone.

His eyes were glued on her lips as she contemplated what she would do. He wanted to taste her and he knew that she would let him, it was her _wand_ for crying out loud. It was like a limb to wizards and witches.

"You'll give it back," she nervously asked after a few minutes.

"Yes," he answered with a smile.

_Liar_. He grinned in anticipation as she walked towards him. She looked up at him, with those big brown eyes, before he swooped down and claimed her mouth with his own. He couldn't stop himself from moaning into her lips even if he wanted to. She tasted better than anything he could have imagined. He wasn't sure how he would be able to kiss another girl without comparing her to the perfection that was Hermione. He didn't know how long they stood there, wrapped up in each other, but he took pleasure in hearing a small moan escape her as well as he dug his fingers into her waist. It was then that she decided she'd had enough. They both stood there, panting, before she finally held out her hand.

"My wand," she gasped.

"I lied," he chuckled.

The glazed look left her eyes as it was replaced by one of anger.

"**Malfoy**-"

"I think I'll keep it for a while. I'll come find you when I decide what I _really_ want in exchange for it," he purred.

He smirked as he watched tears form in his lioness' eyes before making his way past her and to the door. He was tugged back by her firm grip on his arm.

"_Malfoy please_-"

He took in her frantic state before reaching up to brush his thumb against her trembling lip.

"Thanks for the kiss…"

And with that he walked out, leaving her there in a fit of humiliation and panic.

**Talk about mean and Hermione is so oblivious to the boys around her. Don't forget to review. They are much appreciated.**


	4. Chapter 4

**I really like this chapter. Especially the end, that's all I'm going to say.**

**Warning: This story contains Dark!Evil!Obsessive!Possessive!Draco.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

Three weeks, twenty-one days, 504 hours. _That_ was how long she had gone without her wand and it was killing her. Each time she had needed it in class, which might as well had been every single day, she had to borrow Harry's. The first day he had asked her what had happened to hers and she simply replied with an 'it's a long story'. She could tell that he wanted to know said long story but instead he'd just kept his mouth shut. Every time she had seen Malfoy he'd grace her with that devilish smirk which did nothing to alleviate her anger.

As soon as he had left that night, with her wand, she'd cried. They weren't tears of sadness, no, they were tears of anger, frustration and humiliation. She had never felt so humiliated in her life. She was always one of those girls who made fun of other girls who would do something with a boy in exchange for something important. Whether it was a kiss, going down on him or just plain sex. She could never understand how girls could be so stupid to fall for that and then actually have the nerve to be shocked when the boy didn't hold up his end of the bargain. Well, now, she was one of those girls.

But sadly enough, she had actually believed that Malfoy was going to give it back. Or at least, that was what she kept telling herself anyway. In all honesty, and she hated to admit this, a large part of her just wanted to kiss him. She wanted to know what he tasted like, wanted to experience just a fraction of what so many other girls had. And the promise of getting her wand back had been the perfect excuse. Now look where it had gotten her. Wand less, moody, and the angriest she had ever been in her life. The worst part of it all was that this didn't diminish her attraction towards Malfoy in the slightest. Did she finally realize just how much of a prick he really was? Yes, but that didn't make him any less attractive and it should have. She was so disappointed in herself. She sighed as she leaned against a tree and gazed out at the Black Lake. How did her life get so complicated in such a short amount of time?

She turned her head at the sound of approaching footsteps. A grin spread over her face as she watched her best friend make her way down towards her.

"I figured that I'd find you here."

"Missing me, are you," Hermione asked.

Ginny just sent her a small smile. Hermione's grin faded as it was replaced with a small frown; something was wrong.

"Is everything okay?"

Ginny sighed before leaning against the tree beside Hermione.

"I like someone…someone other than Dean," she whispered.

Hermione softly smiled.

"Let me guess…Harry?"

Ginny turned towards Hermione with wide eyes.

"Is it that obvious," she exclaimed.

"Not really. I'm just not thick, unlike Harry. You've had a crush on him since you practically first set your eyes on him," she chuckled.

"Do you…do you think he'd be interested in me," Ginny quietly asked.

Hermione frowned as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"It's hard to say, really. I haven't really seen him give any other girls any sort of attention since Cho. But you're stunning, Ginny. He'd be a fool not to be interested in you."

Ginny sighed in relief as she nodded.

"Good, good. You know…I always thought that he liked you…"

Now it was Hermione's turn to stare at her with wide eyes.

"Me? You're joking right?"

Ginny suddenly looked at her with sad eyes.

"No…I'm not. Sometimes I would think that I saw him look at you in a way that he'd never looked at anyone. He and Ron were friends first but…the friendship that he has with you is…different. Maybe even closer in a way. What you two have has always struck me as more meaningful, something that I could never hope to compete with," Ginny whispered.

Hermione blinked in surprise as she watched Ginny look out onto the lake, unshed tears brimming at the surface of her eyes. Hermione had to admit that her and Harry's friendship was different than either of their friendship's with Ron but it never struck her as having a romantic undertone. They just understood each other, she could actually talk to Harry.

"Ginny…that's ridiculous. Harry is my best friend…I can promise you that he doesn't even think of me like that. Why would he? I don't even compare to _half_ of the girls in fifth year and up, especially not you," Hermione reassured as she laid her hand on Ginny's shoulder.

Ginny spun around to face Hermione with an incredulous expression on her face, knocking Hermione's hand off in the process.

"Are you _blind_? Hermione you- you've grown. It's honestly not even fair. You're like one of those girls that you only read about in books. The ones who are perfect without even trying. You're always complaining about your 'messy hair'? News flash, it's not messy, in fact it could actually be considered what's known as 'sex hair'. You're practically a genius and not to mention completely driven. You're a girl who has goals and knows what she wants out of life while the rest of us are just focused on ways to keep our boyfriends satisfied. But the icing on the bloody cake would have to be that you don't even see it. You don't notice how so many girls wish they had a fraction of what you have and how the boys -_Merlin the boys_- how they look at you. The same way that I've seen Harry look at you," Ginny ranted, a bitter tone seeping into her voice.

Hermione was frozen as Ginny turned back around to face the lake, her hand still in midair. She blinked, trying to process everything that Ginny had said but that was easier said than done. Her best friend had to be going bonkers because Hermione just couldn't believe that any of that was true. It was ridiculous. Ginny was obviously upset about whatever feelings she thought that Harry had for her.

"Ginny…"

"Hermione…I just want you to know that if Harry does reject me because of you, it's okay," she whispered.

"Gin…"

Ginny slowly faced Hermione with a small smile.

"I'm serious. I'm going into this head first while knowing that I don't have a chance. I'm not going to lie, if he doesn't return my feelings, it'll hurt. A lot, but who better for him to be with than someone as great as you."

"Ginny, I told you…," Hermione started.

"Apparently Harry isn't the only one who's thick," Ginny said, accompanied by a humorless laugh before walking past her.

* * *

"Hermione, it's hopeless!"

"Oh, shush. We've only been at it for about ten minutes now, Ronald. You would understand it by now if you had just been paying attention instead of making googly eyes at **Lavender Brown**," she snapped.

Ron jumped in his seat a bit before clearing his throat. She was satisfied that he at least looked ashamed.

"Sorry. It's just…ever since I made the Quidditch team she can't stop staring at me," he grinned.

She rolled her eyes but couldn't help but to smile. She had fancied Ron years ago but was glad that it had faded within the last six months or so. She couldn't help but to be a bit touched that it seemed that he was well on his way to getting a girlfriend.

"That's nice and all but you know what a girl really likes? A guy who can hold an intelligent conversation," she said while pointing to the text.

Ron frowned with a scoff.

"Who says I want to hold a conversation with her," he joked.

Hermione opened her mouth in shock before swinging at him with her book.

"You are _foul_," she laughed.

"I was only kidding," he sniggered as he blocked her swing.

"Were you really? Because I don't believe it. That's awful, Ronald."

"Trying to teach Weasley how to walk and chew gum at the same time?"

Hermione found herself tensing up as that familiar scent washed over her. She had gone weeks without an incident and was hoping that she could've kept her streak going, apparently not. She didn't even dare look up as Ron responded to his snide remark.

"Don't you have a snake to go kneel to?"

Hermione smiled up at Ron, impressed. _That was a nice one_. She was even more impressed when Malfoy didn't reply for some time. She could imagine him just standing there and glaring at Ron.

"You know, you should really get a muzzle for your pets, Hermione," he hissed.

She jumped up and held her hands out just as Ron rose from his seat.

"Maybe a leash too," he chuckled.

"Ron, no. He isn't worth it," she reasoned.

She could feel his heart rate beginning to slow against her hands. She glanced at his clenched fists before resting her eyes on his red face.

"Go on and wait for me outside of the library. We'll study outside, okay?"

He slowly dragged his eyes from Malfoy to her before slightly frowning.

"Are you sure," he asked with a pointed look at the blond.

"Yes."

He reached out to grab his school bag before walking down the aisle, sending Malfoy a glare along the way. She let out a sigh before slowly spinning around to face him. To her shock he wasn't smirking, which was a first. In fact, he looked quite upset.

"You and the weasel seemed awfully cozy."

"Find a new insult, Malfoy. It's getting old," she replied, trying and failing to ignore how jealous he sounded.

She turned away from him to put her book back inside of her bag but she shouldn't have been surprised when his hands came down on either side of her to rest on the table. She turned around, briefly closing her eyes at the feel of her body rubbing up against his. She found herself clenching her teeth together as he tilted his head at her, the smirk firmly back in place.

"You know…I was _quite_ surprised when I didn't hear from you. Not one peep, not even another surprise visit. I thought for sure that your wand meant so much more to you," he whispered as he leaned in closer.

She dug her nails into the palm of her hand. He was just trying to get a rise out of her.

"I know that if it were _my_ wand, I would have gone ballistic weeks ago," he whispered, his lips now brushing against her cheek.

"Well I guess that's the difference between you and me then. I'm not an impatient psychopath," she shakily responded.

He made a humming noise in the back of his throat as he pulled back to gaze at her.

"Maybe. Or it could just mean that you really aren't as much of a witch as the rest of us."

She made a sudden move towards him but his hands shoved her right back against the table. She glared at him through blurry eyes as she did her best to calm her breathing. She mentally cursed when a sinister smile broke out over his face.

"Uh, uh, uh. It seems that I've hit a nerve," he purred.

"Just…please, just give it back. Okay? You've had your fun. You've managed to rile me up and embarrass me all at once. You've gotten what you wanted so just give. It. Back," she pleaded.

"You think this is what I want? To cause you some minor embarrassment and be done with you? Oh, Hermione I bet you're wishing for this to be over but let me let you in on a little secret. This is far from over," he said as he leaned down again.

His lips brushed the shell of her ear and his fingers began to dance along her waist. She was vaguely aware that her breaths were coming out in little gasps.

"It's only just begun," he purred.

She was loathed to acknowledge that once his fingers made contact with her she immediately relaxed even though his words made her skin crawl.

"How badly do you want your wand back?"

"I am _not_ going to fall for that again," she hissed.

A light laugh escaped him as his hand came to rest on her arm. He was making it harder for her to ignore how her body reacted whenever he was around him.

"I admit, that was a bit harsh but it was fun. No? Maybe it was just me then. I mean it this time. If you want it back…meet me at the top of the Astronomy Tower tomorrow night. Whether or not you get your wand back all depends on whether or not you choose to believe me."

He pulled away from her and began backing away.

"Oh, and make sure that you come alone," he added, seriously, before walking towards the back of the library.

She stood there for quite some time, pondering what she should do, before finally throwing her bag over her shoulder. As she made her way out she completely missed how Lavender Brown's gaze followed her with narrowed eyes.

* * *

Walking down to the Great Hall for dinner, she couldn't help but to think on Malfoy's request. She would be an absolute idiot if she went to meet him alone but she _needed_ her wand. This wasn't some piece of jewelry that she could just replace. It wasn't even her diary. It was her wand and without it she was practically useless. Of course it had been killing her inside to go this long without it. She could always take someone, of course they wouldn't be there in the tower but at the very least near the tower. She briefly thought about bringing someone up there with her using a concealment charm but Malfoy was too smart to be fooled by that. She needed someone to know where she was in case anything went…wrong.

She was just about to round the corner when two people that she knew caught her eye. She quietly backed up behind the wall and peeked around it. She wasn't spying per say, just doing what any other best friend would do in her situation. She watched in anticipation as Ginny practically had Harry cornered. Though she could see that Ginny was talking, she couldn't hear a word of it. She could tell that Ginny was nervous as she couldn't stop touching her hands. Her eyes strayed towards Harry's facial expression only to find it completely void of all emotion. She thought that this was odd because Harry was always like an open book; she couldn't tell if this was good or bad. She had a feeling that it wasn't good.

She was just about to pull her head back when Harry suddenly glanced up and caught her eye. She ducked her head back around the corner but she could already tell that it was too late. She waited about a minute or two before peeking around the corner again only to find Harry's gaze on her just before he swiftly leaned down to kiss Ginny, interrupting whatever she was saying. Hermione backed up some more before leaning against the wall with a small smile on her face. She couldn't stop herself from grinning even if she wanted to. Two of her best friends were together and that thought made her forget all about Malfoy for the time being. She waited a good five minutes before stepping out from behind the wall. Ginny was still in the same spot, albeit alone, but there was a love-struck grin on her face.

"Hey, Ginny."

Ginny looked up before practically skipping over towards Hermione.

"Hermione, you'll never guess-"

"I know. I saw," Hermione interrupted excitedly.

Ginny's attitude was positively contagious. She didn't think she had ever seen the girl so vibrant, and that was saying something but it was true; she was practically glowing.

"I…I didn't think he would feel the same way. I was so sure…"

"And didn't I tell you that you were being silly? Harry's not that much of an idiot; he knows a good thing when he sees it."

Ginny shook her head in a mixture of amazement and disbelief.

"And you're sure that you're not bothered by it," Ginny asked, genuinely curious.

Hermione suddenly laughed, startling and confusing her friend.

"You're worried about _me_ being bothered by it? If I were you, I'd be more concerned about that brute you call a brother," Hermione joked.

She couldn't help but to chuckle at Ginny's exasperated sigh and annoyed expression at what was to come.

* * *

She was quite early when walking into the Great Hall for breakfast. There were very few students ready at this time of the morning but luckily, Harry was one of those students. She practically bounced over to the Gryffindor table before plopping down in front of him with a smile.

"Good Morning," she greeted cheerfully as she began to pile food into her plate.

Harry's calculating eyes were accompanied by a small frown.

"You're in a good mood," he replied, slowly, almost in confusion.

"Of course! How can I not be? Two of the most important people in my life are going out. I always knew you two would end up together some day. It was only a matter of time, really," she said matter-of-factly.

"W-wait. _You're okay with it_?"

She looked up at him in confusion.

"Why wouldn't I be?"

He stared at her for a minute before blinking and shaking his head.

"I uh…I don't know," he mumbled as he reached for his drink.

"The only people that I think will be bothered by it are Dean and Ron. Dean will probably be bummed for a while but I feel like he'll move on fairly quick. Ronald on the other hand will be bullheaded about it just because he can. Other than that you really don't have much else to worry about. Well…you both are on the Quidditch team so that could potentially pose a problem whenever you two are having a spat-"

"**Hermione**."

Her eyes shot up in surprise at Harry's firm tone.

"You're seriously not bothered by it…_at all_?"

Hermione frowned, noticing that Harry's tone sounded almost desperate.

"No. You know, you're almost starting to sound like Ginny," she replied.

"What do you mean? What did she say?"

Hermione let out a small chuckle as she rested her arms on the table.

"You're going to have a fit when I tell you this but…Ginny seemed to be under the impression that…I don't know, you fancied me or something."

"Really."

"She was _so_ worried that you were going to turn her down. I tried to tell her that she was being ridiculous but you know her, she wouldn't listen. Until, of course, when you said yes which is exactly what I told her would happen. Harry this great! How am I happier about this than you?"

It _was_ great. This new development had put her into a good mood since yesterday. For a moment, she had forgotten all about Malfoy and her wand. For a moment she had forgotten all about her double life that she was trying to keep under wraps. That was, until, he had walked into the Great Hall with Zabini and Nott right behind him. She had been in such a good mood until he had walked in and threw a smirk her way before continuing on to his table.

"Hermione, what's wrong?"

Her eyes refocused on Harry's concerned face.

"It's nothing. Just Malfoy being…Malfoy," she shrugged it off.

"Are you sure that he's not bothering you? If he is you know that you can tell me, right?"

"Harry it's fine. Really. Besides, even if he was bothering me, I can handle him."

_No you can't. _She was scared of how easy it had become for her to lie to her friends. Harry nodded but she could tell that he wasn't completely convinced. She needed Malfoy to just leave her alone…and to get her wand back, tonight.

* * *

"Okay, Hermione if you don't start talking I'm going to leave you and go on down to dinner."

"No, no wait. Just…give me one more minute, okay?"

Ginny sighed but laid back down on the bed anyway. Throughout the entire day, in all of her classes, Hermione had been debating on whether or not to tell Ginny. If she wanted Ginny to be there just in case anything happened then she was going to have to start from the beginning because Ginny would want to know everything. Hermione just didn't even know how to start or where to begin. But she needed to do this now because in just a few short hours she would be preparing to meet him and get her wand back.

"Okay, that's it," Ginny said as she sat up and hopped off of the bed.

"Wait! It's about Malfoy," Hermione blurted out.

Ginny froze in her tracks before spinning around to face Hermione with a curious and incredulous expression. A sly grin suddenly spread out over Ginny's face.

"_Malfoy_? You're trying to go for Malfoy. Hermione's trying to snag the school Heartthrob," Ginny sang.

"No, it's not like that," she argued.

_Are you sure about that?_

"Oh, really? Then what's it like," Ginny asked in a sultry tone.

Hermione closed her eyes and sighed before opening them again in defeat.

"He has my wand."

Ginny's eyebrows furrowed in confusion.

"O-kay. Why does he have your wand? _How_ does he have your wand? Merlin, Hermione, you're supposed to be the brightest witch of your age."

Hermione fiddled with her fingers before nervously licking her lips. She shifted to her other foot before quietly answering.

"He took it…while I was in the Prefect's bath…"

Ginny stared at her with a slightly open mouth.

"Look, Hermione, I really don't want to get involved in whatever sick foreplay you guys have going on-"

"No, no. You don't understand…I didn't want him in there to begin with."

Ginny's eyes widened as she took a step towards Hermione.

"Hermione…did, did he…?"

"No. He just…."

"Okay, you know what, forget it. Start from the beginning," Ginny demanded seriously.

Hermione sighed before leaning her hip against her bed.

"I guess you could say that it started on the first day of classes but you already know of that incident. We joked about it in my room, saying that he was obviously bored with his life. But…it really started about a day or two later. There was an incident in the library, nothing serious, but it was enough to freak me out a bit."

"What did he do?"

"Nothing. It was mainly his behavior and the things that he said. Remember that day at breakfast, when he and I had the confrontation?"

Ginny nodded in realization.

"That was what he was referring to. I didn't exactly have on my brave face that night. He was trying to scare me and it worked. But the incident at breakfast obviously provoked him…"

Ginny's face suddenly grew dark.

"Why do you say that? Did he hurt you?"

"Not really…"

"Okay, Hermione…there is a big difference between not really and no," Ginny snapped.

"He just grabbed me, is all. His grip was a bit tight on my wrists and you and I both know that I bruise easily," Hermione lied.

"Hermione! That's serious. Why haven't you said something to anyone," Ginny exclaimed.

"Because it's not a big deal. It's just Malfoy being a prat. Besides, you make it sound as if I didn't leave a bruise or two on him either. We both know I'm practically unstoppable with my wand."

Hermione felt bad for lying but she didn't want to make a bigger deal out of this than what it was. She just wanted it over and done with. Ginny nodded in agreement.

"Okay. Let's get to the part where he snuck into the Prefect's bathroom and took your wand."

"Well, this was after I had visited him to tell him to quit with the games-"

"Wait a minute. So you _did_ go to the Slytherin dorms with Blaise Zabini?"

Hermione sighed as Ginny stared at her in shock.

"You lied," Ginny pointed out with a smirk.

"Yes, I know but what was I supposed to say? At the time I figured that I had gotten through to him and that there was no need to stir up trouble."

"But you obviously didn't get through to him since he has your wand," Ginny said matter-of-factly.

Hermione ignored that comment and decided to continue.

"I was in the bath when…he came in too."

Ginny jerked her head back.

"As in…he came into the bathtub with you?"

Hermione nodded jerkily as Ginny scoffed.

"Okay, Hermione are you sure that it's not like that?"

"Just listen. He was in there being his usual perverted self-"

"Hold on. Perverted? As in he wanted to have sex with you? Hermione Granger, Draco Malfoy wanted to have sex with you and this didn't happen because…?"

"Because he's a foul tosser who's probably well on his way to becoming a Death Eater," Hermione hissed.

Not to mention he nearly drowned her and proceeded to not only chomp on her thigh like a chicken wing but also indiscreetly eye fuck her.

Ginny put her hands up in mock surrender.

"I thought you told me that he was bad news and that I should stay away from him, no matter how hot he is," Hermione commented as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Yes but that was before I knew that he wants to shag you. Besides, it's just a shag. It's not like sleeping with him will seal your fate or something."

Hermione sighed in exasperation. This was not how she pictured this conversation going.

"Okay, just continue."

Hermione decided to leave out that part where he saw her naked and just get right to the incident that caused her humiliation and anger.

"Long story short, he told me that he would give me my wand back if I kissed him. So I did…"

Ginny crossed her arms over her chest before leaning against the bedpost.

"I'm sorry, but it sounded like you just said you kissed Draco Malfoy."

Hermione gave her an exasperated look.

"But wait…he still has your wand…"

"Trust me, I know," Hermione replied, bitterly.

"That foul git. So how are we getting it back?"

"That's the thing. He said that if I wanted it back I have to meet him at the top of the Astronomy Tower tonight, alone."

"Hermione, that's completely mental," Ginny deadpanned.

"I know. That's why I need you to come with. You'll probably only be able to wait outside but at least you'd be there just in case."

Ginny was quiet for a moment as she walked around the room.

"I'm a bit peeved that you kept all of this from me. I'm your best friend so you're supposed to tell me these things. But…you are in trouble and you need your wand back so…I'll do it."

* * *

Hermione and Ginny both nodded at each other before Hermione started to take the steps leading up to the top of the tower. She'd be lying to herself if she said that she wasn't nervous. She was going up to the top of the Astronomy Tower, at night and wand less, to meet Draco Malfoy. But she would also be lying to herself if she said that she was nervous for only one reason. She was fearful, yes, but not just because of what he might do. She was also fearful of what she might do. She had a tendency to act differently around him and she didn't like it. He made her think and feel things that she didn't want to think and feel. That she shouldn't be thinking and feeling.

He made her question so many things about herself and him. Hermione didn't like having questions, she liked knowing. She wished that things could back to normal, when she knew that Malfoy was just a foul mama's boy who couldn't be taken seriously. Now he was a dangerous and captivating young man who managed to stir feelings in her that she'd rather not even think about. She wouldn't even have given him a second glance but now it seemed that he was constantly on her mind, like a dirty little secret that she would rather be kept hidden. She finally began to slow just as she stepped foot into the moonlight. It was such a wonderful view but it was a shame that she wouldn't be able to properly appreciate it.

"I didn't think you'd show."

She spun around, startled, only to be caught in his arms. She officially hated that oh so wonderful moonlight that seemed to do wonders for Malfoy. The eerie glow cast a shadow over the side of his face, drawing attention to his prominent bone structure. But the part that wasn't hidden in the shadow was almost ethereal; his hair could have passed for silver and his eyes reminded her of those of a feline's at night. They glowed with a vibrancy that she had never seen before. She took a step back as his lips curved into a smirk.

"…And you're alone."

She couldn't have sworn that his eyes gleamed, almost knowingly. She frowned in confusion as he took a few steps back before offering his hand.

"Shall we," he whispered.

"Where are we going?"

"Some place more…secluded," he said with a smile.

"W-what's wrong with here," she nervously asked.

"What does it matter? We're alone here and we'll be alone wherever it is that we're going. Or am I wrong?"

She blinked as he stared her down, daring her to object. Her shoulders sagged in defeat as she laid her hand in his. As they made their way down she couldn't help but to wonder about where they were going. If she wasn't nervous before, she most definitely was now. When they began nearing the bottom, Hermione tried to discreetly make her footsteps heavier and louder to warn Ginny that they were coming. However, when her foot landed on the last step, she saw that it was no use.

"Ginny," she gasped.

She made a move towards her friend but was stopped by Malfoy's firm grip on her arm. The redhead was currently being held at wand point by Blaise Zabini while trapped in the arms of Theodore Nott.

"Let her go," she hissed at Malfoy.

"Don't get mad at me, sweetheart. You got her into this," he replied with a sneer.

She couldn't even deny it because it was the truth. She watched as Draco jerked his head in her direction at Zabini just before Malfoy aimed his own wand at Ginny while Zabini turned his wand on her. She took a step back as she glared at him. Malfoy suddenly blew out a sigh.

"And here I thought that maybe I could trust you," he stated, almost sadly.

He shrugged before turning to face Ginny, staring her right in the face.

"Obliviate," he hissed.

She watched in horror as he began collecting the memories from Ginny's mind. She had no doubt in her mind that Ginny wouldn't even remember their conversation from earlier, let alone coming here tonight. Everything that she had done was for naught. He suddenly smirked before uttering a word that made her gasp in indignation.

"Imperio," he whispered.

She took a step forward but immediately halted when Zabini took one towards her, his wand aimed right at her face. She was completely helpless as she watched Ginny walk down the corridor before disappearing around the corner.

"Go make sure that she makes it to her dorm. Merlin forbid she take a tumble down the stairs," Malfoy commented.

Nott and Zabini followed after her without sparing Hermione a second glance. She clenched her hands into fists as Malfoy aimed his wand at her. He briefly jerked it down the corridor.

"Shall we?"

She began to walk, glaring at him as she walked past. For quite some time she didn't know where they were going and her feet had begun to ache. He didn't say a word and neither did she. She was far too horrified at how easy it had been for him to use that curse on her friend, his own school mate. She was relieved when he signaled for her to stop outside of a random classroom. After uttering 'Alohomora' at the door, he ushered her inside. It was dark but upon entering the classroom she realized that it wasn't a random classroom, it was professor Slughorn's classroom; the potions room. She winced as he locked the door. She felt rather than heard him walk towards her.

"Let's begin," he purred in her ear just before brushing past her.

"How could you do that to her," she demanded.

He slowly spun around.

"I'm not the one who dragged her into this. Did you really think that I wouldn't know that you brought her along? Give me some credit…"

"You didn't come alone either," she pointed out.

"No because I know you, Hermione. I knew that you were not going to agree to my terms but the saddest part of all is that you thought you'd be able to get away with it."

He began walking towards her.

"Are you finally understanding now? I am in complete control of this situation. I am calling the shots, you have no control. You may be a smart little witch but I am smarter. You may think that you've got it all figured out but never forget that I will always be two steps ahead of you. This ends when I say it ends," he hissed.

She stared at him with wide eyes. Merlin, what had she gotten herself into? She didn't come here to play games with him but somehow it always ended up coming down to that. She just wanted this night to be over with already.

"My wand," she whispered.

"Ah, yes. Your wand. I have no qualms about giving you your wand back but you have to agree to three…conditions," he said with a smirk.

She huffed as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"What's the first," she demanded shakily.

"The first is the easiest of the three but it is also my favorite," he said as he trailed a finger down the side of her face.

She didn't answer, instead she just raised her eyebrow, signaling for him to continue.

"From now on, starting in this moment, you will acknowledge me by my first name…"

She frowned.

"That's…it? That's the first condition?"

He did say that the first was the easiest but she wasn't expecting that. Hopefully this meant that the other two weren't so bad.

"Yes."

"Fine."

"Fine…?"

She sighed.

"Fine…Draco."

She briefly shut her eyes as he smirked. She enjoyed saying his name a little too much.

"Secondly, I want a kiss."

"You already got one," she snapped.

"Oh, I'm sorry. Let me elaborate. I want a kiss, just one kiss, but it will be anytime and anywhere that I pick. You will have no forewarning," he chuckled.

"Absolutely not," she hissed.

There was no way that she was agreeing to that. He could kiss her in front of everyone during dinner time. He shrugged before beginning to take a few steps past her.

"Wait," she cried as she spun around.

She really didn't want to agree to this but she needed her wand back, dammit. He raised a brow expectantly.

"Okay…just not in the Great Hall or Courtyard or something like that…"

He smirked before walking back over to her with a nod.

"Okay. You have my word that I won't kiss you in the Great Hall or Courtyard or…something like that," he mocked.

"What's the last one," she questioned, impatiently.

His smirk suddenly grew as he raked his eyes over her just before walking past her, his hand trailing along her waist. She turned around just in time to see him grab a chair. He walked back over to her before halting, immediately followed by him settling himself in the chair. He patted his leg, causing her to scoff incredulously.

"You want me to sit on your lap like some little school girl?"

His chuckle was dark as he looked up at her through his lashes, his eyes clouded over with a savage anticipation.

"How old do you think I am?"

She found that her throat was beginning to get tighter at the sound of his husky tone.

"I want you to give me a lap dance."

Her heart lurched and her eyes widened in response to his request. He could get bent.

"You can forget about that," she whispered.

"If you're scared…"

"I most certainly am not!"

"Then what's the hold up," he questioned.

"That's…foul. I'm not some slag," she exclaimed.

He reached out to take her hand and pull her closer.

"No, you're not. You're innocent, pure and I'm more than happy to teach you," he whispered in a sultry tone.

She closed her eyes. _Don't do it, don't do it, don't do it_. That was what she kept chanting to herself over and over again inside her head. She shouldn't even be sitting here and contemplating this. She should just leave. But how would she get her wand back? She couldn't live without it, it was a part of her and knowing Mal-…_Draco_, he was the type of person to never ever give it back. It would be just like him to keep it forever. But she couldn't do this. What would Ron think? What would _Harry_ think? Merlin…

"Do you want your wand back or not?"

She opened her eyes to see him twirling her wand in between his fingers, a dark glint in his eye. She closed her eyes in defeat. This was it, the point of no return. She couldn't tell you how she knew, but she just knew that after tonight, everything was going to change. She could feel it. She had managed to keep her attraction for him at bay but _this_, this was crossing a line. There was no going back after this and she could tell that Draco knew what she was thinking because he began to pull her closer. She might as well had left her dignity at the door.

She blew out a shaky breath as she slowly lowered herself onto his lap. A shudder traveled down her spine at the feel of him pressed against her. Neither one of them said a word as one of his hands rested on her hip and the other reached up to tangle itself in her curls. It was so quiet, she was positive that he could hear her heart trying to beat out of her chest. They stared at each other in silence as he began to guide her hips, moving her against him. Hermione had never felt anything like this in her life and she found herself biting her lip to keep from making a sound.

"It's okay. Let me hear you," he whispered as he tugged on her hair.

She shook her head. She would not give in, she wouldn't let him know just how much this affected her. But all too soon his grip had tightened and she was grinding back and forth against him. The feeling wasn't just in her core; it was all over. She felt like she was on a high; her eyes became unfocused and her teeth started to loosen their grip on her lip. He suddenly jerked his hips and she let out a small moan. To her utter embarrassment, she moaned again, louder, when he jerked his hips a second time, almost violently.

"Do you know how amazing you look, how utterly captivating you are like this? Above me, your face twisted into one of complete and utter pleasure. Just imagine it, Hermione," he breathed out.

She frantically shook her head. She had to tune him out or else he'd have her right where he wanted her.

"Picture it, there would be nothing in between us, purely skin on skin and you could be as loud as you want. I'd make sure of it," he hissed.

She suddenly put her hand against his chest and was just about to end this when he stood up, her in his arms and her legs around his waist. He roughly laid her onto a lab table before attaching his mouth to the skin above her breasts. Her mouth opened in a silent moan as his hand made its way underneath her shirt. Oh gosh, he was about to have his way with her and she didn't even care and that should have scared her more than anything. His lips began to travel upwards, causing her to suddenly grin.

"Are you going to collect your second condition now," she gasped.

He froze before slowly standing up, letting her up in the process. His hair was wild and his eyes were no different. They darted all over her, and quickly, as if he couldn't find one thing to focus on. He smirked before pulling out her wand and trailing it down her shirt.

"You'd like that wouldn't you?"

She didn't answer, too busy trying to catch her breath as she wrapped her hand around her wand. He didn't make another comment as he trailed his eyes over her figure one last time before exiting the classroom, leaving her there hot and bothered and asking herself one question. What the hell did she just do?

**As always, reviews are much appreciated. Note that I'm typing this while also fanning myself because _boy_.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hi hi. I'm back with a, sadly, short chapter. I wanted to do another Halloween based chapter around Halloween so maybe, maybe I'll be able to squeeze in a decent chapter at least by Sunday but I'm making no promises. I just thought it would be cool if the timeline in the story matched our own. Anyways, one of you pointed out my Damon(TVD) reference about a chapter or two ago(btw I was really tempted to type about a week ago just then) and that made me really happy because my Draco does remind me a lot of Damon. As always I love reading your reviews, I appreciate them so much.**

**Warning: This story contains Dark!Evil!Obsessive!Possessive!Draco.**

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

He_ froze before slowly standing up, letting her up in the process. His hair was wild and his eyes were no different. They darted all over her, and quickly, as if he couldn't find one thing to focus on. He smirked before pulling out her wand and trailing it down her shirt._

_"You'd like that wouldn't you?"_

_She didn't answer, too busy trying to catch her breath as she wrapped her hand around her wand. He didn't make another comment as he trailed his eyes over her figure one last time before exiting the classroom, leaving her there hot and bothered and asking herself one question. What the hell did she just do?_

* * *

Draco was frustrated and a frustrated Draco was not someone you wanted to cross paths with. The girl beneath him had quickly learned that…the hard way. His grip on her hair tightened as a familiar face flashed through his mind, the same familiar face he nearly came close to kissing not even an hour ago. He'd almost wasted his second condition then and there and that was definitely not something to be wasted. No, he had the perfect opportunity already set in his mind. With a snarl he flung the girl away from him in disgust. She was too thin, too pale and her hair was absolutely horrendous for it was far too straight. He was not satisfied and he was loathe to acknowledge that even though he'd been far rougher than she had expected, Daphne Greengrass looked perfectly satiated. He ran his hands through his hair before raking them down his face.

"Draco…," the blonde questioned, uneasy.

"Get out."

It was but a whisper but she heard him all the same. With a sigh she began to roll out of bed in search of her clothes but she was moving far too slow for his liking. With lightning fast movement he had grabbed the mirror sitting on his desk and flung it at the door, shattering it, causing pieces to fly everywhere.

"_Get. Out._ **Now**."

Daphne didn't need to be told again as she grabbed the rest of her clothes in a hurry and left without looking back. Draco exhaled through his nose with a clenched jaw. With a wave of his hand the mirror was easily mended and placed back on his desk as if nothing had even happened.

* * *

The next morning, as the sunlight began to shine through the curtains, and her dorm mates began to get ready for the school day, she lay there. She had tossed and turned all night and at about four in the morning she had decided to just give up and lay there, thinking. All night she had pondered on the fact that although she had gotten her wand back, she didn't feel triumphant or even relieved in the slightest. For hours she had thought on why that was before finally coming up with an answer, one that scared her; she didn't actually gain anything. Sure, her wand was back within her grasp but look at all that she had lost in return. Ginny no longer remembered their entire conversation or anything that had happened last night. But maybe that was for the best. It was unfair and selfish of Hermione to get her involved in her own mess.

Now he wanted her to call him Draco from now on which wasn't so bad, that is, if she didn't draw attention to the fact that she really enjoyed calling him Draco. She had agreed to another damn kiss and this time there would be no warning. There was no telling when and where he was going to kiss her. The worst of it all though, would have to be what she had done to get her wand back. The loss of her dignity wasn't the worst part of that experience, the worst would be that she actually enjoyed it. She enjoyed…grinding onto Draco like one of his whores. If she were to look in the mirror right now she probably wouldn't even recognize herself. Why would she? Hermione Granger did not go around kissing tormentors and she definitely did not give boys lap dances. She was not Hermione Granger. Draco had somehow managed to turn her into this fumbling puppet who he seemed to have complete control over. She needed to regain control over her life but she didn't even know how. Imagine that, a question that Hermione Granger didn't even know the answer to.

She let out a sigh as she slipped her feet into her Mary Jane's. There was no way she'd have time to eat breakfast now, it was much too late. The walk to Potion's seemed far too short in her opinion and before she knew it she was seated and preparing to take notes from Professor Slughorn's lecture. As she flicked her hair over her shoulder, she noted, with slight surprise, that Lavender Brown had decided to sit beside her today. Hermione masked her confusion with a gentle smile, which Lavender eagerly returned. It was in the middle of class, while they were all furiously copying the text that Lavender decided to talk to her.

"Hermione," she quietly questioned.

Hermione slightly tilted her head to indicate that she was listening.

"I was wondering…could you put in a good word for me? With Ron, of course."

Hermione turned to face her with a smile.

"Sure. He'll be positively beaming to know that you fancy him too," she answered.

Lavender's smile got even wider, if that were possible, as she propped her chin on her hand.

"Ron fancies me? You sure?"

Hermione nodded just before copying down the next line. It was quiet between the two of them for some time before Lavender spoke again. This time her voice had an icy undertone.

"It must be…eating you up inside. Isn't it?"

Hermione looked at her in a mixture of shock and confusion before answering.

"What…?"

"That Ron is into me."

Lavender had a smug look in her eyes, which confused Hermione. She let out a soft chuckle before returning her attention to the text.

"I assure you, I do not see Ronald in that way," Hermione reassured.

_At all_.

"Of course. You're much more into _blonds_…aren't you?"

Hermione's eyes flickered up, staring straight ahead in horror as her entire body seemed to freeze. Did Lavender know? No, there was no way…. Hermione gave Lavender a tight lipped smile and a shrug before looking back down at her paper.

"For your sake, I really do hope that you aren't into Ron like that. I'd hate for him to know just how close you are with a certain Slytherin," Lavender suddenly hissed.

Hermione turned in her seat to face Lavender.

"I have no idea-"

"Hermione, you're a smart girl. So let's not play dumb, okay? I saw the two of you yesterday in the library. I thought that there was no way but then I realized that it's true what they say about underestimating people. Who knew you had it in you…"

"Look, Lavender, what you saw yesterday…was not what it looked like. Trust me, okay? You don't know what you're talking about."

"And you think Ron will care about whether or not it was or wasn't what it looked like," Lavender snapped.

Hermione sighed as she turned to face the front.

"What do you want from me, Lavender," Hermione asked in defeat.

"I want you to back off. I don't buy it about you not being into Ron. Everyone knows that you had such a crush on him-"

"Feelings change you dimwitted troll," Hermione snapped in anger.

She couldn't believe that this was happening. This couldn't be happening…

"Well I don't believe you. So back off or I'll broadcast to the whole school what you've been doing in your spare time. Actually, I guess who would be a better term."

Hermione turned to face her just as they were dismissed. She watched, tearfully and helplessly, as Lavender strode out of the classroom with the rest of the students. What just happened? How was she supposed to determine what Lavender meant by 'back off'? Then again, knowing her she wanted Hermione to just avoid Ron completely. Was she expected to stop talking to one of her best friends just like that? But what else could she possibly do. There was no way she could risk people finding out about her and Draco.

"Hermione?"

Her head snapped up and her eyes landed on Harry before she looked away as she began grabbing her stuff.

"Hey, hey…. What's wrong?"

She shook his hand off before hurriedly making her way out of the classroom.

* * *

"Agh!"

She panted as she hurtled another rock into the Black Lake. Was this year doomed to be her worst year at Hogwarts ever? Not to mention it might be her last. How had she been so stupid to be seen with Malfoy in such a public place? Did it not occur to her that other people came to the library as well? She picked up another rock and flung it into the lake. Lavender Brown was blackmailing her. She was actually blackmailing her. Hermione had repeated it to herself several times but it was still hard to believe. The nerve of that girl!

"I can think of a better way to release all this pent up frustration, love."

She spun around and swore she actually bristled at the sight of him.

"You," she snarled as she charged him.

He simply smirked before grabbing her incoming fists and spinning them so that she was in between him and the nearby tree.

"Yes, me," he said excitedly.

She didn't even have any proper insults. As a matter of fact, she didn't have any insults. She just wanted to be left alone. She sighed as she stared past him.

"I don't have enough energy for you right now, Draco."

"Then you just lay back and look pretty while I do all the work," he said with a smirk.

She almost cracked a smile at his crude suggestion. Almost. Neither one of them said anything for a while as he began to play with her hair. If he wasn't…him, she might have enjoyed it. But she was reluctant to admit that despite him being him she did find herself starting to enjoy it.

"What's your game, Draco," she whispered.

"Elaborate," he quietly answered.

"With me. Why…why me?"

He didn't answer and for quite some time she was under the impression that he never would.

"Do you know that Voldemort had asked me that same question?"

A heavy feeling settled in her chest as her eyes landed on his face in shock but he was so close that all she could really focus on was his nose and lips.

"He wanted to know what I wanted with a 'filthy mudblood such as yourself'. Do want to know what I told him," he questioned, darkly.

She didn't answer for she was too afraid to even move. Did he just confess to her that he was a Death Eater? No, she had seen his arm. It wasn't possible… But why had he been discussing her with Voldemort?

"I simply told him that you intrigued me… Do you want to know a secret, Hermione?"

He continued anyway when she didn't answer.

"I lied. In truth, it is so much more than that…," he began as he took a few steps back.

Her heart began to beat faster as he stared at her with those piercing eyes. A smirk tugged at the corner of his lips as he slipped his hands into his pockets before turning towards the lake.

"You are the complete opposite of everything that I was brought up to be. You are far too gentle, compassionate…far too…innocent."

He turned to face her again as he said this.

"And that, my little Gryffindor, is what makes you such an easy target. It's what makes you so…irresistible."

She pressed herself into the tree some more.

"You're doing all of this just so you can ruin me? Ruin my…image? No offense, Draco, but you sound like a jealous adolescent girl."

A dark, smug chuckle left his lips as if he was in on a secret that she was unaware of.

"I don't want to ruin you or your innocent appeal, sweetheart. I want to possess it. I want it to belong to me and to me only. I want _you_ to belong to me and me only. It's finally clicking, isn't it? Did you think I was joking about all of the fun we could have together? I assure you, I was entirely serious."

Hermione stared at him in fear before she realized that she couldn't breathe, she couldn't breathe. Draco wasn't making any sense whatsoever. When she spoke it was strained, as if she was in desperate need of air.

"If this is your way of confessing your love-"

"Love," he scoffed.

She took a step away from the tree and begin to slowly move back.

"Do not confuse me with members of your pathetic house. This has nothing to do with love. I want you, plain and simple," he continued.

"You're crazy," she fearfully whispered.

"While that may be, it still doesn't change anything. A Malfoy always gets what a Malfoy wants, Hermione. One way or another."

He simply stared at her with that smug smirk as she backed up before quickly making her way back to the castle.

* * *

He was insane. That was what she kept repeating to herself over and over again as she made her way back to the castle. When she thought about it, it definitely explained a lot but it just made no sense. Draco wanting her? In that way? No, the boy was insane. She rounded the corner and gasped in shock as she came face to face with Harry, a very angry Harry who was holding the Marauder's Map in his hands.

"You have something you want to tell me," he demanded.

She sighed and brushed past him. Today was not her day, it was like one thing after the next.

"Hey! Hermione…"

He gently grabbed her arm before spinning her around to face him. He was furious and to be perfectly honest, she didn't know why.

"What," she asked, exasperated.

She might have found Harry's face comical but his anger erased all traces of humor that she might have found in this situation.

"What? What? That's all you have to say for yourself," he snapped.

She threw her hands up.

"When you left Slughorn's classroom, crying I might add, I thought that maybe I could try and talk to you in our next class. You didn't show and I was worried so I pulled out the map and imagine my shock at seeing you and Draco Malfoy together at the Black Lake."

"You told me to get closer to him. I was just doing what you asked," she lied.

"I said get closer to him, not go off alone with him to Merlin knows where for Merlin knows how long. That's just plain stupid," he hissed.

"Well you know what they say, Harry. If you want something done right sometimes you have to do it yourself. If you're not happy with how I'm doing this then _you_ do it! I didn't want to do this in the first place. As a matter of fact, I was actually trying to avoid him at all costs before you sprung this little mission on me," she retorted.

"I just-"

"Think he's a Death Eater, I know. I'm pretty sure the whole school knows but keep talking about it. I don't think that the wizarding schools in the States caught wind of it yet. Harry, you've turned into a man obsessed. Even if Draco is a Death Eater what exactly can you do about it? There's no mark on his arm so you don't have solid evidence to prove it and that's a pretty serious offense to accuse someone of without proof. You cannot spend all of your time on this. Focus on Ginny or better yet, your first Quidditch game next month."

She jerked away from him and began walking down the corridor.

"Hermione!"

* * *

"So why are we not sitting with Harry and Ron again," Ginny asked.

"It's complicated," Hermione sighed out as she picked at her food.

Ginny set her fork down with a huff.

"Okay. Are you fighting with them?"

"Not exactly…"

Ginny raised an eyebrow, indicating for her to continue.

"Harry's just…being extra paranoid and I cannot deal with that today and apparently I can no longer be friends with Ron, so…," Hermione trailed off.

"Who says you can't be friends with Ron," Ginny demanded.

"Lavender Brown," Hermione said in a mocking manner as she raised her eyebrows.

"She can't do that!"

"Yes, she can. She's convinced that I'm into Ron. She has something on me and if I don't 'back off' she'll tell Ron and Harry," Hermione muttered.

"What does she have…," Ginny trailed off as Hermione shook her head.

Ginny suddenly sighed.

"Whatever it is, just tell me when you're ready."

_I already did_, Hermione thought sadly. She sent Ginny a small smile.

"Sure."

"I do have to ask though. Is it about Malfoy?"

Hermione's eyes widened. Did Draco somehow mess up the memory spell?

"Why…why would you ask that," Hermione hopefully questioned.

"Just curious. He's been staring at you for the past five minutes and this isn't the first time. If you and he are…together it's okay."

"No, we're not. He's just being a prat. Nothing short of the usual," Hermione said with a small smile.

"Okay, if you say so," Ginny sang as she picked up her fork.

* * *

"Zabini."

"Granger. To what do I owe this pleasure," he asked with a grin.

"Why are you out so late," she demanded.

"I could ask you the same thing," he responded with an arched eyebrow.

"I'm a prefect."

"Mmm but it is not your night to patrol. I would know since I am also a prefect," he said with a smirk.

"How can you stand there like that? So…so arrogant and carefree as if you had no part in what took place the other night," she snapped.

He looked up at the moon with a smirk.

"It's a simple answer really. I'm loyal to Draco. Well, that and I just don't care but first and foremost I am loyal to him. You see, Slytherin's do not have friends but Draco is the closest thing I have to what you would call a friend; an ally. Besides, it's much safer to be behind the devil than in his path. Wouldn't you agree," he asked as he turned to face her.

"And just what is that supposed to mean?"

"What do you think it means oh Brightest Witch of your Age? I don't know if you refuse to see it or you really are that naïve; Draco is dangerous. When I say dangerous I don't mean in that 'Bad Boy' way that you girls find _oh_ so appealing, I mean dangerous. I'm convinced that the boy has no soul to tell you the truth. I've seen him do things that would make you Gryffindors hurl. He's not one to be trifled with."

She wrapped her arms around herself as a chill passed through her.

"Is that a threat?"

He chuckled, humorlessly.

"No, my dear. That is a warning. A Malfoy always gets what a Malfoy wants and Draco is no exception," he said with a dark look thrown her way just before he began to walk past her.

She found herself rubbing her hands up and down her arms.

"Oh and Hermione?"

She slowly turned around to face Zabini, a serious expression on his face. His next words caused her heart to skip a beat inside of her chest.

"Do be careful. I'm surprisingly rather fond of you and it'd be a shame if you ended up dead."

* * *

**That's actually really good advice. Blaise has always struck me as a slightly arrogant character who has this air of indifference about him. I love it**


	6. Chapter 6

**I said I would try for Sunday but instead you got Tuesday. Not bad. I probably won't update this for another month or two or so but let me just tell you that the next chapter is definitely my favorite by far. For those of you who follow my first story ever, Tainted, I'm letting you know that it will be updated very soon. I guess I keep putting it off because I know that I'm nearing the end. As always, I love reading your reviews. They are much appreciated.**

* * *

_"No, my dear. That is a warning. A Malfoy always gets what a Malfoy wants and Draco is no exception," he said with a dark look thrown her way just before he began to walk past her._

_She found herself rubbing her hands up and down her arms._

_"Oh and Hermione?"_

_She slowly turned around to face Zabini, a serious expression on his face. His next words caused her heart to skip a beat inside of her chest._

_"Do be careful. I'm surprisingly rather fond of you and it'd be a shame if you ended up dead."_

* * *

"That's…new," Theodore commented with a grimace as he threw a look of pity at the poor 3rd year.

Draco tilted his head as if to get a better angle as he watched the student drag his fingers down his face, his nails leaving a trail of blood in their wake. He made a slight humming sound in the back of his throat.

"Yes. Voldemort created it and informed me to test it out, give a report on the effects," Draco replied disinterested.

The kid was silent, due to a silencing charm, but his mouth was open as if he were screaming. He was frantically shaking his head from side to side and his legs kept jerking as if he were having a seizure.

"What does it…do," Theo asked fearfully.

Draco let out a quiet laugh.

"I don't even know. I _do_ know that I definitely wouldn't want to be on the receiving end of it," he chuckled as he stood up to stretch his legs.

"It's not going to kill him, is it?"

Draco paused, suddenly unsure.

"Voldemort said that it wouldn't but then again…he isn't exactly known for his honesty."

With a flick of his wand the kid went limp as he fainted. Theo watched as Draco cleaned the student up with a quick 'Scourgify' before murmuring a silent 'Obliviate'. Did Theo approve of harming an innocent kid? No but what exactly could he do. He liked living. He decided to change the topic of conversation.

"How's it going with Granger," Theo suddenly asked.

Draco merely looked at him before returning his attention back to the unconscious student.

"That bad, eh? Let me guess…she hates you."

"No but she's not particularly fond of me either so…then again I really don't care. She's attracted to me and that's all that matters. That's more than enough to work with," he commented.

"But wouldn't it be easier on yourself if she did like you, even a little bit?"

Draco never liked easy but he _did_ need to get her out of the castle with him when the time came. That would go much smoother if she was willing. Maybe Theo had a point…

"Well what do you suggest I do," Draco questioned as he looked over his shoulder at him.

Theodore's face was suddenly graced with a smirk that could rival Draco's.

* * *

Draco strode over to the table before pulling out a chair, sitting opposite the dirty blond who'd been quietly studying. Alex Sykes let out a sigh before pushing his book aside. He was a quiet Slytherin, hardly noticeable, Draco noted but he was a Slytherin nonetheless and a bloody useful one at that. Draco leaned his elbows onto the table with a dark glint in his eyes.

"I want you to do something for me…

* * *

"A Halloween Masquerade Ball? What, the Heads couldn't decide on a theme so they went with both," Ginny criticized.

Hermione threw her a look.

"What? I'm just saying," Ginny defended as she threw her hands up.

"So what are you and Harry going to go as," Hermione suddenly asked.

"I'm not sure. I really want us to be that mermaid and prince guy from that muggle story you showed us…"

"Ariel and Eric from The Little Mermaid," Hermione corrected with a smile.

"Yeah. But…he doesn't seem all that interested. Actually, he doesn't seem interested period," Ginny sulked.

"Well, you know guys. They aren't really into stuff like this. He may be the-boy-who-lived but he's still a normal boy. I say go for it. You definitely have the hair…"

"Well what about you?"

"I don't know. To be honest I'm not as enthusiastic as I would've been if this happened a year ago. I'm just not up for it," Hermione shrugged.

"Oh, Hermione, but you have to go! You cannot leave me alone with Ron's…_beard_," Ginny said in disgust.

Hermione cracked a small smile. Although Ron and Lavender weren't what you would call official, they sure as hell acted like it. It hurt a bit to see that Ron didn't even notice her sudden absence from his life but Lavender seemed happy enough about it. She sighed.

"Okay and I'll even let you pick my costume because I really don't care."

"That's the spirit, sort of. I wonder what Malfoy will go as," Ginny wondered.

"What? Where did that come from?"

"Well, Hermione, you have to match your future husband."

Hermione looked at her, horrified, as she began to laugh. She then looked around to make sure that no one had heard her.

"I'm sorry, I had to but come on. You can't tell me that you're not curious. Can't you picture him walking through those doors like a Greek God or something? Maybe even a dashing knight…"

"Forgive me if I have a hard time picturing Malfoy as anything deemed to be heroic," Hermione sneered.

"Well I wouldn't mind being swept off of my feet by him. Wouldn't you agree?"

"No," Hermione answered without hesitation.

Ginny laughed again but her laughter was cut short as her eyes focused on something behind Hermione. Hermione spun around and was actually relieved that it was only McLaggen. However, that relief was soon cut short as she remembered that the first trip to Hogsmeade was this weekend.

"Crap," she muttered just as he made his way over to her.

"Hermione," he greeted with that smug grin of his.

"Cormac…"

"I hope that you didn't forget about our plans this weekend," he started.

"Of course not. I had been looking forward to it," she lied with a forced smile.

His grin suddenly turned into a smirk.

"I know. Anyways, I just came by to remind you and to tell you to where something nice."

She grimaced.

"…Sure."

He leered at her before walking back to his seat. Hermione turned back around in disgust only to find Ginny desperately trying, and failing, to contain her laughter.

"Can you believe him?"

"I'm surprised you didn't curse him," Ginny laughed.

"I was trying to be nice…," she trailed off.

_You are the complete opposite of everything that I was brought up to be. You are far too gentle, compassionate…_

She let out another sigh.

* * *

"I thought for sure that you had better taste than _McLaggen_," the voice in her ear sneered the name as if it were the vilest insult known to man.

She internally sighed. Why was she not surprised that people had found out about her date with Cormac? No doubt he was the one telling everybody. She turned her head until she could see his sculpted jawline in her peripheral vision.

"He's just paying me back for helping him with an assignment. If I didn't know any better I'd say you were jealous," Hermione innocently commented as she turned back to face the front.

"Coy doesn't suit you, love. Besides, McLaggen hardly has anything worth being envious of," he hissed.

"Unless of course he had me," she bit back.

_That shut him up_, she thought with satisfaction. She heard him sit back into his seat and could almost feel his eyes glaring holes into her back. But it wasn't long before his voice was in her ear again and this time he was the one to shut her up.

"For his sake, you better hope that's not the case. I have no problem slicing him open from head to toe for touching what is mine," he darkly hissed.

* * *

Hermione nodded with a smile as Cormac continued to rave on about something or another. Knowing him, whatever it was that he was talking about probably had to do with him. It was a pity that he was so self-centered. He was always enthusiastic and so animated whenever he talked. It was just a shame that it was always about him. They had been sitting at this same table in Madam Puddifoot's Tea Shop for almost an hour now and she had barely got a word in. Honestly, she really wanted this so called date to be over with so she could go shopping with Ginny.

"So I was thinking…we'd make a really good looking pair at the Halloween Ball tomorrow, no?"

If it wasn't for that sickeningly smug grin on his face, she might have said yes just to be nice but she knew that she couldn't handle much more of this.

"Cormac…that's really sweet of you but…I just agreed to this because I helped you out and you seemed so eager to repay me," she shrugged.

"Oh, I see."

She found herself feeling a bit guilty as she looked at his crestfallen face.

"I'm really sorry…," she softly added.

"No, no. It's fine. I should probably let you get back to your friends," he said as he stood up and grabbed his jacket.

She followed his lead and shrugged into hers as well. He suddenly smiled at her before pulling her into a hug. She hesitantly returned the hug before she began to pull away. Suddenly, just as she was pulling away from him, he leaned down and pressed his lips against hers. Her eyes were wide and her arms were frozen in shock before it finally registered what he'd done. However, by the time it had finally clicked, he'd already pulled away from her with a smile.

"Sorry, Hermione. I just…I had to do that. See you at the Ball tomorrow," he said just before he exited the shop.

Hermione was sure that her entire face was red from not only embarrassment but anger as well. The nerve of him, and then he actually had the audacity to shrug it off and smile. She let out a sigh before turning to exit when a figure outside of the window caught her attention. It felt like someone had socked her in the gut as she stared back at the cold, piercing eyes of an angry Draco Malfoy.

* * *

"Hermione! Are you even paying attention?"

Hermione pulled her eyes away from the door to look at Ginny.

"What?"

Ginny sighed before holding up two dresses.

"I said, sexy vampire or sexy pirate," Ginny asked with a grin.

"Neither," Hermione answered with a grimace.

Ginny huffed before going back into the racks as Hermione turned to glance at the shop window. She didn't know why she was expecting Draco to come barging in here, his wand aimed at her and a curse falling from his lips. Maybe it was because she could still hear his voice in her ear, threatening to violently murder Cormac if he so much as touched her. Maybe it was because she had felt his stare on her as she walked all the way here, like he was following her or maybe it was because the look in his eyes had held more than anger; they'd held promise. A promise that her kiss with Cormac wouldn't go ignored. She rolled her eyes before turning back around with a huff. She didn't do anything wrong. It's not like her and Draco were together.

She looked up as she heard Ginny gasp.

"This is positively gorgeous. You have to wear it," Ginny gushed as she rushed over to Hermione.

Hermione slowly stood and took the dress from her. It was beautiful, there was no doubt about that but…

"Ginny…it's green," Hermione said hesitantly.

"Who cares? It's Halloween and it'd look amazing on you," Ginny responded.

_She isn't wrong_, Hermione thought as she admired the velvet material. It looked like it belonged in the medieval time period. Maybe she could go as someone of royal blood. She just couldn't get over the color though but Ginny was right; it was Halloween. Who cares?

* * *

Hermione lowered her wand as her normally curly hair fell straight past her shoulders. Two tiny braids that started on each side of her head came to connect in the back. Her makeup, courtesy of one Ginerva Weasley, was light but effective. She blew out a breath as she ran her hands down the material of the dress. She had no idea that it was going to fit so…snug. Nor was she aware that the neckline was so low. But Ginny had reassured her that it looked great. She placed her dark green mask on her face before exiting her room. Her short heels clicked softly against the floor as she made her way out of the girls' dorms and towards the Great Hall. She didn't know why she was nervous. Maybe it had something to do with the fact that she hadn't heard from Draco…at all. It was definitely unnerving waiting around for him to do something. But maybe this was his plan; torture her by allowing her imagination to run wild. It was not only ingenious but it was also working.

She knew that she was late, to be honest she was late on purpose. She wasn't in the partying mood and the less time she spent here the better. She had hoped that no one would notice her late arrival but as they say; hope breeds eternal misery. She couldn't help the slight blush that covered her cheeks when people turned to gawk at her as she walked by. The hall seemed more crowded for some odd reason and it took her ages to finally come across her friends. She was pleased to see that Ginny and Harry had indeed gone with The Little Mermaid. Ron had decided on an archer while Lavender appeared to be the very flower that she was named after.

"Hermione! You look amazing. I told you, didn't I?"

Hermione nodded, embarrassed by the attention that Ginny's outburst had drawn. Ron finally seemed to remember that he had his own date on his arm as he finally closed his mouth before respectfully agreeing with Ginny. Harry on the other hand said nothing. He merely drank the rest of his punch before grabbing Ginny's hand and leading her onto the dance floor. Ron scratched the back of his head awkwardly as Lavender clung to his other arm.

"Uh…I'd sit with you Hermione that way you wouldn't be all alone but…-"

"It's okay, Weasley. I can take it from here."

She spun around to face Zabini, a very half naked Zabini. Her eyebrows rose as she took in the exposed skin that his toga didn't cover, which wasn't much. She averted her eyes with a blush when Zabini threw her a smirk.

"Oy, Zabini-"

"It's okay, Ronald. It's just a dance," Hermione said with a strained smile just before Zabini led her to the other dancers.

She could feel Lavender and Ron's gazes on her back as she disappeared into the crowd. She was reluctant to admit that Zabini was quite the dancer. She cleared her throat.

"Well…don't you look…dashing," she said.

His smirk grew just before giving her a once over of his own.

"And don't you look positively…delicious. I sure hope Draco can keep his hands to himself because I might not be able to."

"You should watch what you say Zabini before Draco comes over here and murders you in cold blood," she half joked.

His smirk suddenly vanished, replaced instead by a very serious expression.

"Well he can't be any more upset with me than he is with you at the moment," he stated.

Her eyes widened as she looked up at him.

"What? What do you mean?"

"I don't know what you did but he sure as hell isn't happy. Did you not listen to a word I said, Granger?"

She gulped just before letting out a sigh. Her eyes scanned the hall, searching for the topic of their conversation.

"Did…did he say anything to you? Do anything," she desperately asked.

He scoffed.

"He didn't have to. You could practically see his magic crackling around him. What did you do, Granger?"

"It wasn't my fault," she snapped.

"Oh, really? Forgive me if I find that hard to believe," he said with a raised eyebrow.

"It was Cormac. We were on that stupid date when he decided to kiss me out of nowhere. Unfortunately, Draco happened to be standing right outside of the shop window when it happened," she explained.

She jumped a bit as Zabini suddenly let out a laugh.

"Oh, this is going to be fun."

"He's not going to do anything stupid is he," she questioned.

"Stupid? Are you forgetting who we're talking about? Deadly would be a much more appropriate term," he murmured as his eyes lingered over her shoulder.

She bit her lip as she continued to glance around, completely missing the slight nod of Blaise's head.

"I do believe I just saw she Weasley slip out, quite drunk if I do say so myself."

"What," she exclaimed as she spun around just in time to see the doors shut.

She pulled out of Zabini's arms just before lifting the bottom of her dressing and following after her friend. She was just in time to glimpse vibrant red curls disappear around the nearest corner. Hermione followed but let out a sigh of frustration upon seeing an empty corridor.

"Ginny," she called as she took a few steps forward.

Nothing. She didn't hear anything. As a matter of fact, it was much too quiet. She quietly sighed before turning back around only to collapse at the force of the blow. Her hands took the brunt of the fall and she let out a hiss as they scraped against the rough floor. She cried out as she was roughly pulled up by her hair before being thrown against the nearest wall. She fell to her knees just as the person came at her before fishing her wand out of her bra. She aimed her wand and was satisfied when he flew back but was immediately disappointed when he quickly recovered. And unfortunately for her, he was blocking the quickest way back to the hall.

She lifted the bottom of her dress and took off in the other direction. She flew up the nearest flight of stairs when she heard his footsteps behind her. She mentally cursed whoever made her heels because they were surely slowing her down. As if to prove her point, her assailant suddenly grabbed her ankle, causing her to fall on the stairs, bruising her chin in the process. She stretched her fingers to reach her fallen wand but was interrupted when she was flipped over onto her back. She gasped as the steps dug into her back and she gasped louder when their hands came to constrict around her throat. She spluttered and gasped for breath as her hands came up to connect with their face, desperately trying to push them off.

To make matters worse, it was then that the stairs decided to change. Her attacker pushed her head farther back so that it was in between the space where the stairs connected. Her knees buckled as she tried to get him off while looking at the oncoming staircase in horror. She balled her hands into fists but she was growing far too weak to pose any sort of threat. Suddenly, he was on the stairs beside her, twitching and screaming in pain. She let out a gasp as she was suddenly shoved farther down the steps just as the stairs connected. All she could see was a tall, broad figure standing in front of her.

"Get out of my sight before I end your pathetic existence."

Her eyes widened in shock upon hearing a voice she recognized. She glanced around his cape just in time to see her attacker takeoff up the stairs. He removed his hat and turned around to kneel down in front of her. She found herself staring at his white mask that only covered half of his face as he turned his attention towards her leg.

"Hey," she protested as he gently lifted it.

"It's bruised, Hermione," he said through gritted teeth.

"I don't care. I can take care of myself just fine," she snapped as she struggled to stand.

He rolled his eyes before wrapping his arm around her waist and helping her to stand,

"Let go of me, Draco-"

"I'm trying to help, you silly bint-"

"I don't need your help and nor do I want it. You foul, loathsome…"

She heard him sigh as she continued to rant. Maybe if she had been paying attention she would have noticed his wand. She suddenly fell limp as her world was drowned in darkness.

* * *

She frowned as she finally started to come back to consciousness. She hesitantly reached her hand up to press against her temple; she had a killer headache. She opened her eyes for a few seconds before closing them. The bright moonlight was shining directly onto her. Wait a minute…this was not her room. She suddenly sat up and gasped in pain at the slight soreness of her back.

"You're awake."

Her eyes flew to the end of the bed where he sat, watching her.

"Where…am I in your room," she questioned.

"Where else was I supposed to take you?"

"The infirmary," she said as if she were talking to a 1st year.

He rolled his eyes.

"Take me back to my dorms, Draco," she demanded.

"No. You need to rest. Who better to take care of you than me?"

"I didn't ask you to take care of me," she hissed.

His expression suddenly grew very dark.

"If it wasn't for me…that entire staircase would have been redecorated with the inside of your head," he stated.

She remained quiet and kept her eyes downcast as he stood. She watched as he grabbed a mug from his nightstand and offered it to her.

"It will help with the headache."

She hesitantly accepted it before taking a sip.

"I'm sorry," she suddenly said.

He smirked.

"What was that? I didn't quite hear you…"

"Are you really going to make me repeat it?"

He gave her a look as if to say 'of course'. She sighed.

"I said, I'm sorry. You…you're only trying to help me and you're right. You saved my life. That's something that I'll never be able to thank you enough for."

His smirk suddenly grew as something unfamiliar flashed through his eyes.

"Get some rest, Hermione…"

She nodded before handing the mug back to him and gladly sinking into the covers.

"This doesn't change anything," she murmured, drowsily.

His fingers came up to stroke her hair as he leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead.

"Whatever helps you sleep at night," he whispered.

* * *

**The link to Hermione's costume is on my profile. Review, review, review!**


	7. Chapter 7

**Surprise! Early update. I just want to say that I have had this particular chapter in my head since before I started actually writing this story. I just love it so much**

* * *

"I'm telling you, Mione, we've got this in the bag. Slytherin doesn't stand a chance," Ginny boasted to her friend.

Hermione hummed disinterestedly as she turned to the next page in her book. She wasn't all that interested in the talk of the first Quidditch match; Gryffindor versus Slytherin. To be perfectly honest she wasn't so sure that her house would defeat the snakes this year. Draco had happily bragged to her about the new plays and techniques they'd been practicing while she had been recuperating in his room last week. She'd like to say that she didn't have a choice in the matter of listening to him go on and on but a small part of her had oddly found his company…enjoyable. He was mildly decent when he wasn't trying to manipulate her into kissing him and what not.

She had told Draco that his heroic act didn't change a thing between the two of them but now she wasn't so sure. He could have let her die. After all, if he was a Death Eater then that would have helped his cause immensely. Without her, Harry would surely fail. She wasn't declaring that in an arrogant way at all. She was merely stating a fact; Harry needed her and she was sure that Draco knew that too. So she was back to the original question. Why did he save her? She was aware of his…_desire_ for her but surely it wasn't that great. He could easily find another girl, a willing girl who'd happily give him whatever it is that he wants from her. But a small voice in her head was telling her that it was something about her and her alone. This also reminded her of the question she had asked him that night.

* * *

_"Why me?"_

_Draco looked up at her in question._

_"Sorry?"_

_"I said why me. Why…why did he attack me," she clarified._

_This was something that had been going through her head for the past few hours. He let out a snort before slowly making his way to her side of the bed._

_"You're a smart girl. Why do you think?"_

_She was quiet for a moment before she looked up at him, an incredulous expression on her face._

_"Are you trying to say that that person was a Death Eater?"_

_"No. I'm saying that that person is trying to become one. Whoever he was clearly wanted to prove himself worthy enough. What better way to do that than to kill Hermione Granger, Harry Potter's best friend and Brightest Witch of her Age," he said with a smirk._

_She darted her tongue out to run it over her dry lips before letting out a shaky breath._

_"So…what? Are people going to start making attempts on my life now?"_

_A dark look suddenly fell over his face._

_"I'd love to see them try."_

* * *

"Are you even listening to me?"

Hermione was brought back to the present by Ginny's loud voice. She blinked before looking up from her book with a small smile.

"Sorry but you know I don't too much care for Quidditch, Gin. I'm certain that you guys will beat them…again."

Ginny cracked a small smile.

"I'm sorry. I know that I've been talking about this nonstop for almost twenty minutes now and I know that you aren't into Quidditch but it's more than that. You've just seemed really distracted lately," Ginny said.

Hermione bit her lip before deciding on closing her book and scooting to the edge of her seat.

"Ginny…if I tell you something do you swear not to say anything to anyone?"

Ginny rolled her eyes.

"Hermione, this is me that you're talking to."

"I know but I need you to swear it, Ginny. If this gets out…who knows what could happen."

Ginny's eyes widened at the seriousness of the upcoming conversation before nodding.

"Harry…he convinced me to try and get closer to Draco in order to spy on him. But…now there are feelings that have come into play," she said quietly.

"Feelings? For _Draco sodding Malfoy_?"

"Ginny, he makes me feel things that I'd rather not feel. Think things that I don't want to think about. He's foul and demented but lately he has been doing things that have been messing with my head. Things that make me second guess my opinion of him."

"…Well how do you know that he's not messing with you, doing these things to purposefully make you feel that way," Ginny questioned.

"I don't," Hermione answered seriously.

"You know that Harry's certain that he's a Death Eater…," Ginny trailed off with a light laugh.

"I know. I'm starting to think so too," Hermione whispered with a nod.

Ginny's laughter was cut short as she looked at her in horror.

"Why? Did he do something to you," she demanded.

Hermione shook her head.

"No, in fact he did the opposite. He…he saved me, Ginny. He saved my life but the guy, my attacker, whoever he was... Ginny, he used the Cruciatus Curse on him like it was nothing. Like he wasn't standing there inflicting pain on another human being. I didn't even hear him speak it."

Ginny was silent for a while.

"I don't want to jump to conclusions. Even though it makes perfect sense for him to follow his father's footsteps that might not be the case. It could just mean…that he's prepared, Hermione," Ginny said as if it were the most tragic thing in the world.

Hermione found her eyes shifting towards the floor, knowing what Ginny was getting at.

"We all know that there's a war coming. Given his family, I'm willing to bet that he's already seen some of it. There's going to come a time when you and I may have to use the Cruciatus Curse and more than likely the killing curse as well. If we're going to be out there fighting Death Eaters, a stunning curse will no longer cut it because they will not hesitate to end our lives. I don't know what happened between you two but if your life was really in danger then you should be glad that he didn't hesitate to repay the favor to whoever was hurting you. You might be put into that same position one day, sooner than you think."

* * *

"You know you should really stop being alone all the time. Someone could easily…take advantage of you."

She only spared him a glance as he practically slithered into the seat opposite of her. She noted that he looked better than usual today. She couldn't put her finger on it but he almost looked…happy. However, seeing as this was Draco, he being happy could never be a good sign.

"Are you excited for the game in just a few days?"

"I don't really concern myself with the matters of Quidditch," she quipped.

"You will once we win," he said with a smirk.

She closed her book for the second time that day before giving him her undivided attention. Her heart raced as he observed her with those piercing eyes.

"Cocky much?"

His smirk grew.

"…Very much."

She felt heat flood to her cheeks at the double meaning behind his answer. She straightened up in her chair before clearing her throat.

"I'd be careful not to jinx my team if I were you. Just your luck, we'll beat you…again," she stated.

He grinned before standing up and making his way over to her side of the table. She tilted her head to watch him out of the corner of her eye as he stepped behind her.

"Want to bet," he purred.

"I don't make deals with the devil."

The soft laugh that escaped him sent a shiver down her spine and she jumped when she felt his lips brush the shell of her ear.

"Oh, Hermione. You flatter me," he whispered.

She watched as his hands came down on either side of her to rest on the table, caging her in.

"But no, seriously. If we win…you have to go on a date with me and take a ride on my broom."

She thought it over as Harry's words ran through her mind. _Get closer to him_.

"Your…your actual broom, right?"

"That's up to you," he stated huskily.

She rolled her eyes before nodding.

"Okay. If we win then…you have to go on a date with me and…answer three questions, honestly."

"Deal," he said with a scoff.

She turned around in her seat to face him.

"Tell me…why are you so sure that you're going to win," she asked.

She didn't back down as he leaned in, his lips a hairs width away from her own.

"Because, my little lioness, we Slytherins have moves that you Gryffindors have never even seen," he purred.

Her eyes focused on the wall behind him as she, once again, flushed at the double meaning within his words.

"Will I see you before the game," he whispered.

"Whatever for?"

It didn't go unnoticed to her that they'd practically been flirting with each other for the past few minutes.

"For my good luck kiss of course," he said with a smirk.

She didn't answer him, instead she turned back around and began to pack her things. He stood upright to give her room as she rose from her chair and turned to face him.

"I'll think about it," she said just before brushing past him on her way out.

* * *

"Hermione?"

She turned around to face Harry as students flew past them, trying to get to their next class on time. She noticed that Harry was looking anywhere but at her and his hands were shoved into his pockets. So he wanted to apologize, did he?

"Can I walk with you to Ancient Runes?"

"Sure," she said just before turning on her heels.

She could hear Harry's hurried footsteps as he struggled to keep up with her pace.

"Hermione, I'm sorry," he finally said.

She stopped and spun around to face him.

"Hmm, I wonder how long it took Ginny to convince you that you're in the wrong. What did she threaten you with Harry? The silent treatment? No sex for a month," she snapped.

"Hermione, stop. Okay? She didn't have to convince me or threaten me with anything. I realized that I'm an idiot all on my own," he replied.

"What a surprise. There is something that Harry Potter can do by himself."

He huffed.

"Look, I know-"

"No, Harry, you look. You forced this little…_assignment_ on me. Then you actually had the nerve to criticize me on how I carry it out? Not only that, but you insinuated that I have poor judgment. I know exactly what Draco is capable of, trust me. I know what I'm doing," she ranted.

She watched as Harry's eyebrows furrowed as he looked at her.

"You called him Draco…"

"If I'm pretending to be his friend I do have to acknowledge him by his name," she said matter-of-factly.

"Does he acknowledge you by yours?"

"Who cares? Why is this even important?"

"Hermione…you know that when I said get closer to him…I didn't mean like that," he said with an almost horrified look.

She heaved a sigh.

"Harry, you clearly didn't think this through, did you? Did it never occur to you that I may have to…know him in that way?"

She wasn't too fond of the idea of that but with the way things were going, she feared that her situation could end up like that very soon. Harry balled his hands into fists as his face turned a color that could rival Ron's hair.

"No, absolutely not."

"You don't have a say in this anymore, Harry," she said.

"Yes, I do and I forbid it."

"Do you want to know the truth about him or not," she snapped.

Harry didn't respond.

"Okay then. You can't have it both ways, either one or the other. Trust me, Harry. That's all I'm asking for…"

After some time he let out a sigh before giving a jerky nod.

"We're…we're okay, right," he asks, tentatively.

"Yes, Harry. We're okay," she says with a small smile.

On their way to class they both talk about the upcoming game. She doesn't voice her opinion that she's confident in Slytherin though.

"What makes you so sure you'll win? I hear that Slytherin has gotten pretty great," she teased.

He suddenly smirked a very un-Harry like smirk.

"We've recently gotten some new ideas."

* * *

Hermione picked at her food as she watched her friends, decked out in their Quidditch uniforms, re-enact what they believed was going to happen at the game. Was it wrong of her to almost wish that they would lose? They were confident in their abilities. It was no different than her and her academics. She found herself glancing at the Slytherin table only to find it empty of a fair haired blond. She did catch the eyes of Theodore Nott though who threw a wink her way to which she responded with a scowl. He only laughed before popping a piece of sausage into his mouth.

She finally decided that she wasn't very hungry nor did she want to sit around and listen to Quidditch strategies. She rose from her seat and left with the excuse of 'early start on homework'. Walking up the staircase, she ran into the subject of her thoughts. Said subject looked really good in his uniform, she noted.

"Come to find me, did you?"

"No. I just got tired of listening to Quidditch talk. Plus, I wasn't all that hungry."

"Well, we'll have to do something about that appetite of yours, won't we," he said with a smirk.

She crossed her arms as she felt heat rise to her cheeks.

"Can you stop, with all of the innuendos?"

He touched his chest in mock outrage.

"I'm just trying to make conversation, love. It's not my fault if you can't control that perverted mind of yours," he teased.

She rolled her eyes just before walking past him.

"Don't forget about our bet."

She turned around.

"I wouldn't dream of it," she replied.

His smirk grew as he turned around and began to make his way towards the Great Hall.

"Draco," she called.

He spun around mid-step just as she began walking towards him. His eyes followed her as she stopped directly in front of him. She leaned up on the tip of her toes before gently pressing her lips to the center of his cheek.

"Good luck," she whispered as she pulled back, a faint blush staining her cheeks.

The corner of his mouth lifted to form a crooked smile as he backed up and turned around, making his way towards the Great Hall.

* * *

"Another ten points to Gryffindor!"

Hermione had gotten to the game just in time to see both Gryffindor and Slytherin tied at thirty points. It seemed that Luna wasn't getting distracted for once. However, Hermione had to eat those words not a minute later when Luna began to comment on the odd shape of a cloud overhead. Hermione softly smiled at her blonde friend before looking out onto the field. She could see Harry floating around, in search of the snitch. Ron, as keeper, was in front of the goal and her eyes finally caught Ginny as she blurred past them at an impressive speed.

Her eyes finally landed on Draco, looking every bit as determined and fierce in his search for the snitch. Upon looking closer, she could see that his face was set in stone; he was livid. With a more in depth observation, she noted that he wasn't the only one. It looked as if every member of his team was beyond pissed but she couldn't understand why. They weren't losing, in fact, they were tied and they still had a chance to win the game. A small stab of shame went through her as she realized that she was rooting for Draco to win.

Hermione moved her way to the front just as Ginny nearly crashed into a Slytherin player who she recognized as Zabini. As the minutes ticked on it looked as if Draco was getting angrier and angrier by the second, if that were even possible. Suddenly, there was a commotion in the crowd as Draco dived down at blinding speed to what she could only assume was the snitch. Harry was right behind him. She bit her lip and peered up at the two of them as they swerved and twisted in between the players.

"It looks as if the snitch has been spotted."

_You're a little late, Luna_, Hermione thought with a soft chuckle. Everyone watched with baited breath as both Draco and Harry were neck and neck in the chase for the snitch. But it was a sudden movement, on Harry's part, that determined the outcome of the game. She narrowed her eyes as she watched Harry swerve in Draco's direction. It was so subtle that if she hadn't been paying such close attention then she would have missed it. Draco, trying to avoid Harry, over corrected and veered off of the path of the snitch and in turn…

"Harry Potter's caught the snitch!"

Her ears were filled with the roar of the crowd as everyone around her cheered but she wasn't. She was too busy thinking. Draco had gone on and on about their plays. She had been confident that they would win and Hermione Granger was almost never wrong. More importantly, she couldn't believe that she had won the bet. Something didn't add up. Now her attention was on Draco and the look of absolute fury upon his face. His expression darkened even more when Harry looked at him, a smug expression on his face. But suddenly, Draco's expression changed, drastically. His entire face went blank just before a familiar glint passed through his eyes and his lips curved into a smirk. She recognized that look; he was about to do something, something she probably wasn't going to like. As if he read her mind, his eyes found hers as if he knew where she was all along.

She scowled at him. Just what on earth was he planning? His sudden change in attitude was unnerving to say the least, it put her on edge. It was-! Her thought process went completely blank as she realized, in horror, that he was flying straight towards her. It seemed that amongst the cheers and excitement, she wasn't the only one to notice as one by one people began to look at her. She was frozen as he slowed less than a foot from where she was standing. She noticed that more people were beginning to look their way now.

"I came to collect that second condition now," he said with a smirk.

Her eyes widened.

"Draco-"

Her protest was cut short as he leaned over and captured her lips in a mind blowing kiss. She could hear the gasps and exclamations of shock all around them but she couldn't bring herself to focus on that. She couldn't concentrate on the fact that Draco Malfoy was kissing her in front of the entire school. She could only focus on the way his lips expertly moved over hers and the way his tongue came out to dart over her bottom lip just before his teeth took said bottom lip in between them. He tasted like mint and chocolate and he smelled…. The fog finally cleared when he pulled away to glare down at Harry on the field with a smirk.

It was still loud but now she could hear her and Draco's name being uttered everywhere she turned. Her eyes reluctantly landed on Harry and for the love of Merlin she wished that the ground would just swallow her up. His entire face had gone red and she was sure that that was murderous intent she saw in his eyes. She turned and began to make her way down when Draco began to lower himself onto the field. She, and so many others, got down there just in time to see Harry throw the first punch. She couldn't see the rest for people shoving their way in front of her to get a good look.

"Move," she exclaimed as she elbowed her way through.

"All of you, return to the main building. Now," she heard Professor McGonagall shout.

Hermione came to an abrupt halt upon seeing both Draco and Harry with their wands pointed at each other. A nasty bruise was beginning to form on Harry's cheek and one on his chin. Draco's fair skin was blemished with the smattering of blood just under his nose. Aside from her and a few teachers, the only people on the field were the two Quidditch teams.

"Is there anything you have to say for yourself, Mr. Potter? Mr. Malfoy?"

McGonagall's question went unanswered but she didn't miss the venomous look Harry threw in her direction. Her eyes were focused on Draco as McGonagall continued to chew them out for their behavior. Hermione couldn't help but to feel mildly responsible even though she knew that she didn't force Harry to start fighting.

"…A week's worth of detention for the both of you and you'll each have to sit out your next Quidditch game. You best be on your way to the infirmary."

With that, McGonagall turned on her heels and exited the field with a huff. No one moved but no one ignored the way Harry was looking at Draco.

"Why so upset, Potter? It's not like I spied on your Quidditch practices," Draco sneered.

Her eyes found Harry's when he didn't say anything. Draco glanced at her one last time before striding off of the field, his teammates following after him, throwing glares at the Gryffindor team along the way. The Gryffindor team began to slowly make their way off of the field when it became obvious that Harry wasn't going anywhere. The tension in the air was thick as she stood alone with only Ginny as Harry and Ron glared at her.

"Are you really going to just pretend like you didn't just…_kiss_ Draco Malfoy," Harry hissed.

"Did you really spy on his team's practices," she demanded.

Neither Harry nor Ron said anything and she noticed that Ginny was staring at them with wide eyes, clearly not aware of this fact. Hermione shook her head before brushing past them, only stopping when Harry grabbed her arm and spun her around.

"Where are you going? Back to _him_," he snapped, eyes blazing.

"Not that it's any of your business but yes. I am. I do feel somewhat responsible for his nose," she said firmly.

"Since when do you care about the likes of him," Ron sneered.

"Who else am I supposed to worry about right now? The oh-so-honorable Quidditch players who cheat and pick fights with underserving people," she retorted just before exiting the field.

* * *

"I thought I might find you here. Although, I wasn't sure…"

He turned around to look at her.

"How's your nose," she asked.

He wiggled it a little.

"A little sensitive but other than that Madame Pomfrey fixed me up real nice," he answered.

She walked to stand beside him and looked down over the grounds of Hogwarts. It had been some hours since the game and the sun was starting to go down. It really was a nice view from the top of the Astronomy Tower.

"You kissed me…in front of everyone," she said after a while.

"That I did."

She could almost hear the smirk in his voice. She turned to face him.

"I know that you're angry at Harry for spying on your team but I wish you hadn't done that."

"I'm not sorry," he said as he turned to face her.

She looked away from his heated gaze.

"If you came up here seeking an apology, you'll be sorely disappointed. I will not apologize for kissing you and I sure as hell won't apologize for doing it in front of the whole school. I have no regrets about staking a claim on what's mine for everyone to see."

"I do not belong to you. I'm a human being, not some object," she declared.

His only reply was a smirk and that annoyed her even more.

"You know what, I don't care. I won the bet so you owe me a date…"

"…and answers," he said with a smirk as he turned to face her.

* * *

"…I broke up with Harry," Ginny whispered.

Hermione's shoulders sagged as she let out a sad sigh.

"Why? I thought that you were head over heels for him," Hermione questioned.

Ginny merely stared at Hermione for a minute or two with the strangest look before looking away.

"You know how you have this idea of something in your head? You have spent years picturing what it would be like, feel like. You've put it on this pedestal and then when you finally get it…it's nothing like you imagined. It's horribly…disappointing."

Hermione's heart lurched as Ginny's voice cracked. She wrapped her arms around her friend.

"It just…it hurts. I was in love with the idea of us and it was nothing like I expected it to be…"

"I'm so sorry," she murmured.

"Me too," Ginny whispered as she sadly stared at the refection of Hermione in her mirror.

* * *

"Listen, Malfoy, I did what you asked of me now pay up," the boy demanded.

Draco slammed his fist on his desk as he stood up. He was already beyond pissed at losing the game and now he had to deal with this.

"Why would I do that Sykes? I told you to ruff her up a bit until I got there. Not try to take her bloody head off!"

"You were running late. I couldn't keep chasing her all around the damn castle," the darker blond reasoned.

Draco exhaled.

"Besides, you got there in time and saved the day. Hell, I saw that kiss at the game. You got what you wanted now give me what I want. You should be lucky that I'm not demanding extra for using the Cruciatus Curse on me."

Draco reached into his drawer and pulled out a small sack before dropping it into the other boy's hand. Sykes' only response was a small glare before he exited Draco's room.

"Draco."

He turned to face the girl who'd been hidden in the back corner of his room. He felt his body take aflame as he raked his eyes all the way from her unruly curls to her petite feet.

"Why can't I look in the mirror," she asked with a huff.

"Because I said so," he stated as he began to loosen his tie.

He grabbed her by the hand and pulled her closer. _She isn't really her but until I can get her in my grasp, Polyjuice Potion will have to do for now_, he thought as he pushed the girl onto his bed.

* * *

**Shoutout to whentheangelscry for giving me a wonderful idea and I really wanted Slytherin to win for a change but an angry Draco is fun to write. And yes I did do another TVD/Damon reference **


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